Iron Chef Riviera
by ChefMKT
Summary: It's a heated battle as Ein, Cierra, Serene, Lina and Fia fight against each other in a battle of cookery! Who will win the special prize and be crowned the Iron Chef of Riviera?
1. The Introduction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Riviera characters or the Iron Chef television show. This story contains spoilers about several major events in Riviera. You have been warned.

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There I was, holding a microphone in my hand. I did not know why I was chosen to do this, or why I have to dress in black. I hate black, and what's with all of these golden decorations on my clothes? This is so not my style. Whoever thought of this really needs to check their book on fashion tips. I felt this uneasiness which would not go away. It's like this event was designed to cause nothing but chaos. Why me? I know I've done wrong in the past, but if this is the punishment, I'd rather accept death again. I see nothing but darkness, but I know that when those lights shine brightly, I will be forced to endure it. No, I shall overcome it! I am stronger than this! I know I will make it through in one piece! 

"And here is your host, Malice!" the announcer boomed. The dark room was now lit up and five figures were seen standing in a straight line. The five figures laughed as they saw Malice, standing in front of them wearing the black attire. She glared at them and they quickly stopped in a moment of silence.

"Today...we have the five finest heroes of Riviera all together. They are here, because they wish to prove to each other something. They will compete in a cruel and grueling contest. The competition is a battle of will power, wits and guts. These five contestants will compete, in a cooking face off!" Malice cringed at the last sentence but continued on, "Here we have the wingless angel, Ein. Undoubtedly the clumsiest and the bookies say that he will be the one to watch for hilarious events during this competition!"

"Hey!" contested Ein.

"Cierra, the witch who controls the element of fire. The bookies say that she is also clumsy and that will more likely set fire to the whole building than the stove! Next we have Fia, the vegetarian who will no doubt stick by her vegetarianism and give us nothing but salads as if we were rabbits!" Malice laughed to herself. She was thinking that this was not such a bad idea after all. Fia glared at Malice for the comment which was announced but Cierra was smiling away, unaffected by Malice's speech.

"Lina, the sprite who is apparently older than Fia. She is labeled the applecot specialist."

"...It's true!" said a distressed Lina in the background. Everyone else except for Fia stared at Lina.

"Moving on, our final contestant is...Serene. Very flamboyant, short tempered, really needs a new hair do, and someone get rid of those freaking ears on her head! The rules state that all contestants must wear chef hats. That includes Cierra too."

Malice turned to see the arc, drawing her scythe and lunged to attack her, but to no effect. Two sets of arms stopped her cold as she fought desperately to break free from the grip. Ein and Fia struggled desperately trying to hold Serene back from slicing Malice into fresh cold cuts with her scythe from her comment.

"Let me go! I must avenge the arcs!" Serene shouted in aggravation.

"Lina thinks you want to kill her because of that comment about your hair and hat!" Lina said, laughing at Serene.

"Shut up, squirt!" Serene retorted.

"Waaa! Serene is a meanie!" Lina said, bawling her eyes out.

"_This is just too much fun_." Malice thought, "Now, everyone, please put on your chef hats!"

Everyone picked up a chef hat which was colour coded. As Cierra took off her witch hat, everyone noticed that Cierra was actually shorter than what everyone thought. Cierra wore a red hat, Fia a green hat, Lina a yellow hat, Ein a white hat, and Serene put on the blue hat, which she was forced to take off her neko ears before putting it on. Everyone gasped as she took off the neko ears. Two antenna like strands of hair, were now curling upwards forming the infamous ahoge.

"Well, it seems we have a bad case of hat hair!" Malice announced with a wide grin. Upon this comment all four of them were needed in order to stop Serene from tearing into Malice once again. Fia and Cierra were holding her arms back and Lina rapped herself around Serene's legs. As Ein was about to try to stop Serene from the front she broke free and ran straight into Ein. His hands, which were directly in front, were now grasping Serene's chest area. Ein was blushing a bright red, as well as Serene. A few seconds passed before Lina broke the moment of silence.

"Ein's a pervert!" Lina said gleefully. Ein slowly backed away as Serene glared at him. As each step backwards he took, she took one step forward.

"...W...Wait! Serene! It...It was an accident! I'm sorry! Puh...Please don't hurt me!"

"Oh, I won't hurt you Ein..." Serene said in a devilish tone with a shining, evil glint in her eye, "I'll kill you instead!"

She drew her scythe and was chasing after him around the kitchen area. He was screaming and pleading for her to stop. Malice was trying very hard to contain her laughter, with a hand covering her mouth. Finally, she managed to regain her composure.

"Ahem. Now, since the contestants are ready, I shall now announce the judges for this contest!" Malice looked behind her to show a table with 2 figures sitting behind them, in the dark. "First we have Soala from the Magic Guild! The lights now shined above the left side of the table, showing Soala with her purple hair and equipped with a black pointed hat on top. She smiled and waved to everyone.

"Our second judge is...Rose?" Malice quickly turned around to see the lights go on and a female with brown hair and a green bow on the front of her clothes. Ein taken back by surprise, quickly stopped in his tracks shortly followed by Serene who crashed into him and landing on the floor. Serene rubbed her backside and was about to yell at him when she saw Rose sitting there. Rose leered at Ein and communicated with him telepathically.

"If you tell Cierra that I'm Gateau, you will feel a pain so great; it will haunt you in the afterlife!"

Ein's spine felt a cold chill as those words reached him and he was now bolt upright. Malice noticed this and reminded herself to get a copy of this later on for her own personal amusement.

"And now, our final judge. One person randomly selected by me, will join these two judges to help crown, the Iron Chef of Riviera!" Malice laughed to herself and thought, "I know exactly who I want up there, and even the gods themselves will agree."

The group of five chefs anxiously awaited the announcement of the final judge. Malice quickly interjected.

"Oh, and one more thing. The winner gets to take Ein out on a date, and in the case that Ein does win, he will get to pick who will go on the date with him. Although, I suspect that the latter scenario won't happen."

Lina, Serene and Fia glared at each other, mentally telling one another that they will be the one to win and go on the date with Ein.

"Being alone with Ein…that will be the perfect time to ask him if he loves me!" Fia thought.

"If Lina wins, Lina will be with Ein and Serene will be jealous!"

"That Lina, I don't care who wins as long as it's not her. Actally, if we're alone together, he won't be able to escape me! He is kinda cute though..." Serene thought, blushing slightly.

Suddenly, they felt a cold chill as they looked towards Cierra. Her facial expression had totally changed. A few seconds ago, her eyes were wide and with a warm smile. Now, her eyes were as if it was a hawk, seeking out its prey. Her warm smile had now disappeared. Determination to win was now in Cierra's mind as well.

"Ein knows something about Gateau's disappearance. If I use this date to trap him where I want him, he'll definitely tell me!" Cierra thought.

The three girls backed off a few steps after gazing at Cierra's facial expression, fearing her slightly. That quickly changed however, as now they all know that they were all determined to win this contest, no matter what the cost. Ein feared for his own safety from the sudden change in atmosphere and slowly backed away from the four girls. The mood quickly changed as the spotlight above the far right side of the table lit up. As all five of them watched, the light itself contained sparkles of light, as bright as the stars. A dark shadow materialised at the spot, slowly regaining a bodily form. As the body finally shaped itself, everyone gasped in surprise and amazement.

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Who will be the third and final judge? Find out in the next chapter! 


	2. The Battle Begins

**DISCLAIMER: **Same as the first chapter.

_Author's Notes:_ This chapter is slightly longer than the first one. Thanks to all that have reviewed so far, it really inspires me to write so keep reviewing! Enjoy.

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Malice smiled to herself at the perfect choice of the third judge. She now raised her arm up, pointing it behind her towards the figure which now was fully recognisable by everyone. 

"Ledah!" exclaimed Ein.

"Quiet wingless angel! I was supposed to say that." Malice quickly interjected as Ein was shedding a tear of joy to finally be able to see Ledah again.

"And now, I present to you, the final judge. Ledah!" she announced.

"...Where am I?" Ledah questioned.

"You're a judge for this fine competition, Ledah. A contest of cookery. You will eat and describe each meal and then decide on which chef deserves the title of the Iron Chef of Riviera!" Malice told Ledah.

"Tch, such petty things. I refuse to part take in this." Ledah said folding his arms and turning to the side.

"_Time to use my ace_." Malice thought, "But Ledah, since you are here, surely it was the will of the gods!"

Ledah paused for a second. He knew she had a point there. He was supposed to be dead, but now he was given life. As he turned around, he saw Ein jumping towards him.

"Ledah!" he exclaimed, holding out his arms in front of him. Ledah just stared at him with his red eyes as Ein was stopped cold by the fist of Malice, which he cleverly blocked using his face.

"Sigh, that Ein. I swear he has issues." Rose thought to herself, as she now looked at a dazed Ein lying on the ground. Malice now walked down towards the group. The chefs gulped as she got closer, the moment of silence, broken by each footstep she took. She stopped as she was now standing behind a table with a large, red cloth hiding the contents on the table.

"It is now time to reveal today's theme! Some people say that this is the symbol of the fruits of labour in which the sprites work hard to pick. In fact, it is a fruit. The crunchiness of this fruit is undeniably the crunchiest of all and just the sound signifies the time of Spring. This fruit I now present to you is..." Malice reached down to grab the cloth. As she swiftly pulled it away, everyone was in a state of shock. "Apple...cots?"

Everyone looked down at the now empty basket which was by the cause of Lina. She had eaten all but one of the applecots. Malice put her hand to her face and just shook her head. She bent down towards Lina, staring her down with her cold eyes. Lina absolutely terrified felt a cold chill down her spine. Quaking in fear, she threw the applecot in her hand upwards and hid behind Ein. Malice swiftly caught the airbourne applecot in her hand. She looked at the big, round fruit and sighed.

"Why must I do this..." She thought to herself. She closed her eyes and took a large bite out of the applecot and started chewing very slowly. Many seconds have passed before Malice finally swallowed what she bit off. Almost immediately she started coughing and expeled the contents. She paused for a bit, looking at the five chefs.

"...Since there are no applecots left to use, I guess there is no theme for today's competition." She flicked her hair back with one hand, "Chefs, you may now start cooking!" A bell had chimed off as she said this and all five chefs rushed to their benches.

Cierra placed her meat on the chopping board and looked towards the stove. Gripping her magic staff in both hands, she pointed it towards the stove. The other four looked at her and realised what was going to happen. They ducked for cover behind their benches and waited for the chaos to strike.

"I'll show you the power of magic...Cinder Squall!"

Flames emanated from the staff and a large fire erupted. As the flames hit the stove, it subsided into a small fire. Everyone was shocked and relieved at how Cierra managed to control the fire.

"I'm not a witch for nothing." Cierra said, proudly.

Suddenly, the fire burst and expanded. Everyone quickly ducked behind the safety of their benches again as the flames grew. The flames were spreading at a rapid rate before finally exploding. Black soot and ash surrounded the area as everyone was coughing from the smoke in the air. The black screen finally subsided as Cierra's stove was now covered in a black coating of soot.

"Heh, and now I wonder how these four survived with her; blowing things up left, right and centre." Malice commented. She quickly took a few steps to the right to avoid an oncoming fireball sent by Cierra before continuing on.

"Well, well, it seems we have some rivalry going on between Lina and Fia!"

Fia was chopping her vegetables with speed and grace thanks to her skills with the sword. She thought to herself that Lina wouldn't be cut out for this competition as she had never helped when it came to preparing meals. As she was thinking of this, she looked at Lina who was in front of her. She was slicing a head of lettuce with accurate precision and speed. Fia never knew that Lina could be so dexterous with a knife so she picked up her speed as well, slicing away at a red onion. Lina picked up a tomato and threw it up into the air. Drawing her bow and arrows, she readied herself to let the arrows fly.

"I'll never miss...Barrage!"

She let fly a number of arrows at the airbourne tomato. Each arrow cut through the tomato as if it were paper. The tomato was now cut up into little tiny stars which floated down. Lina held out her bowl and caught each one. Everyone was about to applaud when the arrows which were fired were still in the air. Malice quickly stepped out of the way as a few arrows passed by. Ein was working quietly at his bench when an arrow was heading straight for him.

"Watch out Ein!" Lina yelled.

Ein then saw before him the arrow, its hunger to feast on him. Taken back by surprise, he fell backwards and now his back was against the cupboard. Ein closed his eyes out of fear as the arrow struck its target. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see that the arrow had pierced his soot covered hat. The arrow was intergrated well into the cupboard and he was forced to break off the arrow head before finally being able to get up off the floor. Fia glared at Lina and decided it was time to show off her cooking prowess. Fia drew her sword with one hand and held up a tomato in the other.

"Fly like a raven in the night!"

She threw the tomato into the air and proceeded to slice it skillfully and gracefully from all angles. It was now snowing as the tomato broke apart into shapes of snowflakes. As they fluttered down, she caught them in her salad bowl and looked at Lina with a superior look.

"Lina thinks you're good Fia, but Lina can do better!"

"I doubt that, you nearly shot Ein with your arrows!" Fia replied.

The two of them glared at each other for some time before resuming their preparations of their meals. Malice turned to the judges and decided to have some fun. Malice approached Ledah who was still sitting in the chair with his arms folded. Grinning, Malice held the microphone in front of Ledah's face.

"Ledah, who do you think will win this?"

"No comment."

"...Then, what kinds of food do you like?"

"I do not have any." Ledah quickly replied, "Malice. I have one question."

"Shoot."

"Why must you embarrass yourself wearing that ridiculous clothing?"

Everyone had heard this remark and everyone started laughing, Serene particularly. She pointed her index finger at Malice and was laughing rather loudly. Malice quickly turned around and threw her microphone at the direction she heard the source of the laughter. Serene's eyes widened as the microphone headed straight for her and she barely ducked out of the way. The microphone continued traveling through the air and was heading straight for Ein's head.

"I'll save you Ein! Magic Burst!" yelled Cierra.

A ball of fire intercepted the microphone and it caught on fire, however, the microphone's trajectory was still straight and true. The microphone hit its target and now, not only he had a bruise on his forehead, his chef hat and clothes were set a light from Cierra's attempted save.

"Aaah! OhMyGodsI'mOnFire! Put it out!" yelled Ein.

Ein was running around in a circle now, yelling and screaming from the agony and pain. Serene calmly walked up towards the angelic fireball and poured a bucket of water over him. A hissing sound was heard as the water doused the fire.

"Gods...why...me..."

Ein looked at himself to inspect the damages. His clothes were covered in soot, burns and were drenched. His hat was now almost covered entirely in black from soot, fire damages were abundant, and an arrow shaft stuck in it still. It had only been five minutes into the cookery contest and Ein looked like he had survived years of hardships on the battlefield. Ein thanked Serene and was about to make his way to his bench when he slipped on the watery surface.

As he landed on the ground, the impact created forced a nearby knife block to tip over onto the ground, which was filled with knives. Ein screamed in fear as the knives fell. He quickly rolled to the right to dodge the first knife which landed pointing upright where his head was. As he rolled, he saw that the knives were still coming as he rolled away even further. 2..3...4...the knives kept coming until finally he hit Serene's bench. Ein managed to dodge all the knives but the impact on the bench knocked one of the fish off and it came sailing down. As Ein looked up, he saw the fish coming right at him, but there was no where to run. His eyes widened even more when the fish's lips met Ein's as they shared a passionate, yet disgusting moment.

"Oh my!" Fia said out loud.

"Ein's weird! He kissed a fish!" Lina stared.

"Ein's...first kiss, stolen by a fish..." sighed a disappointed Cierra.

"...My fish! I can't possibly use that now!" cried out an angered Serene as she swiftly gave Ein a good kick in the shins which he yelled indiscriminatly before flying towards the ingredients table for another fish.

Ein was in such a mess now. He was covered in stains, escaped death several times, pain was written all over his body and to top it all off, kissing a fish. He wondered if he'll actually make it through this contest alive as he already lost his dignity. Staggering up slowly and in pain, he got up and tossed the fish aside onto the ground. He glared at Malice who was now literally rolling on the floor laughing.

"Oh man! You don't get to see something like this everyday! Oh wait, you four do since you're with him all the time!"

She laughed even harder now that tears of laughter were seeping out of her eyes. Ein just stared at Malice and brushed himself off before returning back to his bench. Malice finally managed to get back up wiping a tear from her eye and fixed her hair.

"What a marvelous piece of work this technology is. We have an instant replay. Check this out!"

A large screen came down from above Malice and a still picture of Ein from a side-on while he was on the ground was displayed. Malice pointed the remote control at the screen and pushed a few buttons. Frame by frame, the fish was visible on the screen and at the point of contact, Malice paused the frame.

"Ah, love at first sight. It truly is a remarkable thing." she said in a devilish tone whilst trying to hold back the laughter.

"Malice, I think you've proven your point now." Ledah interjected.

"Oh come on Ledah, I swear you were the only one who didn't laugh at that." Malice replied.

"Such childish games, just let them be Malice!"

"Oh ho, it seems you've regained one of your emotions."

"…"

"_Score one for me._" Malice thought

"Now now, let's not fight." Soala interjected.

"Tch…Fine." Malice replied.

As she turned around to face the kitchen, she saw the kitchen was now anything but it. Black smoke pouring everywhere, food flying in the air, screams of pain from Ein, it wasn't a kitchen anymore, it was a battlefield. Only one will win, and whoever that may be, they must truly be strong in order to overcome this chaos.

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The battle has just begun and there have already been casualties! I mean, one casualty. Find out what happens in the next chapter, coming to a cinema theatre near you! 


	3. The Awakening

**Disclaimer: **Same as chapter 2.

Author's Notes: Yes, I am well aware that some of these dishes they are cooking are impossible to do properly within an hour's time limit. At first, I thought of using some of the other items from the game itself but I found it really hard to come up with creative things so...I used stuff which exist in real life.

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"Things are heating up now. Serene is going at it full blast!" Malice announced. 

Serene picked up a knife and swung it around a bit. It was much smaller than the usual weapon she used. She looked at the knife's blade, then the fish. Placing the knife down on the table, she reached for the knife block and grabbed a cleaver.

"Hmm...it's big...but I don't know. The blade is boring and it bursts with...rectangular boringness." she said as she put her index finger of her free hand on her cheek and scratched it lightly. "To hell with this!"

Serene placed the knife back in the block and grabbed her scythe. Swinging it a few times, she smiled and said to herself,  
"Ah, much better."

She turned her head towards the table with the trout lying on its side. Taking the fish in her left hand, she threw it up into the air.

"Serene Combo!"

She swung her scythe furiously and each blow cutting right through the fish. As she finished, she put her scythe standing upright with the handle on the floor.

"I barely broke a sweat."

As she looked on, the fish was now cut up into tiny pieces no bigger than rice grains. Serene's proud smile quickly changed into an annoyed frown.

"...Damnit! Guess I have to cut up this fish using this...tiny little knife..." Serene said looking unamused as she looked at the small knife lying on the table. She quickly turned to her right and glaring at Malice who was grinning to herself.

"Honestly, who did not see that coming? That scythe is even larger than yourself and you expect to cut up a fish to a reasonable size? It's just common sense really..." commented Malice.

The other four quickly turned to watch Serene as the anger built up inside her. She quickly grabbed the nearest thing which she could find. With a small knife in hand, she threw it right at Malice. As the knife traveled, everyone watched in horror as it was reaching Malice. In a flash, she dived out of the way of the oncoming knife.

"Ledah! Watch out!" Ein yelled.

Malice had been standing right in front of Ledah before she dived out of the way and now as Ein could only watch as the knife reached closer to Ledah. In Ein's eyes, everything was slowing down in this moment. He could hear his own heart beating and everything around him was all a blur. The other four could only stand and watch. Their eyes widened as Ledah caught the knife between his index and middle finger without even flinching. The four girls watched in amazement as the knife burst into small flames which were produced from Ledah's fingers.

"Ledah looks so cool!" Lina said.

"That was amazing...if only Ein could do something like that once in a while." Fia added.

"Oh my, I have to ask him how he did that...especially when he made the knife burst into flames. He has so much power, but also control over it." Cierra continued.

"That was so cool! Even though he could've gotten killed...that was cool!" Serene exclaimed.

Ein's vision and hearing returned as he shouted for joy and ran towards him with open arms.

"Ledah! You're ok!"

"Not when I'm here you're not!" Malice said as she punched Ein once again in the face, stopping him cold. She turned to  
Ledah, "Was it really that necessary to make the knife burst into flames like that?"

"I could say the same for you punching Ein in the face."

"Hey, it's not my fault he's obsessed with you. The rules say that the chefs can not go near the judges until the judging has commenced when they present their food. Want me to kick him below the belt instead?"

Staggering to get back on his feet, Ein slowly walked back to his bench. As he looked around, he noticed that Cierra was gone. He shrugged it off as he went back to his bench. He didn't want to participate in this contest anymore, but if he said that in front of Ledah, what would he think of him? There was no way he'd do that in front of Ledah. He decided he would hold his head up high and proud and hope to the gods that he will survive. As he was thinking, he heard footsteps coming his way, as he turned to look, he saw Cierra holding a bunch of mosamo branches.

"Er, Cierra? What's that for?" Ein questioned.

"Don't mind me. I couldn't get the stove working so I settled to make my own fire." Cierra replied.

"...Your own fire? Hit the deck!" Malice screamed half jokingly.

"You'll get what's coming to you Malice, soon enough." Cierra said under her breath.

She set the branches down into two piles and concentrated her magic power. The other four had ducked for cover behind their benches as flames dispersed from Cierra's staff and lit the branches. Everyone sighed for relief as nothing exploded this time. Cierra reached into her bag and pulled out numerous herbs. She tore off the leaves of the herbs and put them in a pestle and mortar with some lemon juice. Adding some salt and pepper, she crushed the mixture and them smeared it over the outside of the meat. Using two pronged branches, she set up a simple rotisserie and the main dish was now settled. Cierra took out a large pot and set it on a wire frame above the second fire. She added some ginger and garlic. As she added the meat, it made a soft sizzling noise which indicated the pot was hot enough. The beautiful smells soon filled the kitchen as the judges got excited.

"Ooh, that sure does smell nice!" Soala said, sniffing the air.

"Indeed it does, garlic and ginger do go well together." Rose added. Both of them waited a few seconds and then turned to their left. Ledah was still sitting there with his arms folded.

"...Aren't you going to say something Ledah?" Rose asked. Ledah looked to his right and just glared at her. Rose sighed as turned back to watch the other chefs get their act together after the Cierra bomb scare.

Fia was making a soup in a pot on a stove and was preparing to add some noodles to it. Lina had been preparing a chicken broth which was almost complete. She added some herbs and spices to the simmering broth which filled the air with a lovely aroma. Serene had just finished making a sushi roll and was preparing to cut it into suitable size pieces. Cierra was well underway as she kept a close eye on the large meat which was taking in the mixture of herbs and citric juice and was beginning to have a crispy texture on the outside. Meanwhile, Ein has not even begun preparing his first dish because of what had happened so far. A voice rang through the speakers,

"Fifteen minutes have elapsed."

He clenched his fist and closed his eyes. Thoughts were running through Ein's mind. He couldn't stand the thought of disappointing Ledah, but so far that's all he has been doing. He gave the title of Grim Angels to shame and was useless as a chef. As he was thinking, the Grim Angel theme was playing in the background. His fist was shaking as a breeze swept through the kitchen. A white aura was now surrounding Ein as he picked up his knife.

"...What the? What's this power I'm feeling? It...it can't be!" stuttered Malice.

"Yes, he has awakened." added Ledah.

He was slicing through the vegetables at an incredible speed. He had already completely sliced a red onion into thin rings in a blink of the eye and was now starting on the cabbage. He had finished slicing it into thin strips in a second and was now working on the tomatoes. He swiftly peeled off the skin, keeping the peeled skin as one long strip. Lighting up the stove with a match, he quickly bent down and grabbed a large pot in which he placed the tomato pulp. He picked up one of the tomato skins he had peeled and begun circling it around the circular base of the tomato peel. As he neared the centre, his eyes lit up as he knew he had finally accomplished something. He had created a decorative tomato rose. He continued making them until he had one last peel left. He took out a small knife and began cutting into it. Everyone wondered what he was doing but none of them dared question him. A few seconds later he held up his master piece, a tomato peel, carved into the shape of Ledah's diviner, Lorelei. Even Malice was impressed at how he managed to pick up his game but he wasn't done yet. Ein started to peel the skin off of a lemon. He took the large strip and started carving into it with his knife again. Ledah's eyes changed as he looked on, taking up some sort of interest in what Ein was doing. He held up his second masterpiece, a lemon peel sculptured into the shape of his diviner, Einherjar. Everyone applauded as Ein put his salad ingredients in a bowl and added a dressing. Lastly, he placed his two models of the diviners on top, crossing each other.

"Simply amazing, Ein!" Fia said with delight.

"Lina thinks you're cool too, Ein!" Lina jumped in.

"Such artistic flare in cooking Ein...I'm impressed." Cierra added.

"I never knew you could do that Ein." Serene said, winking at him.

"I'm amazed that no one has pointed out that Ein's hat is set on fire again when he had bent down to grab that pot." Malice interjected.

The background music faded as well as Ein's aura. He was now running around screaming for someone to put the fire out. Serene reached down to grab a conveniently placed bucket of water and dumped its contents on him. Once again, he was now drenched in water.

"...This is getting old." said Ein.

"Not as old as Cierra or Soala." Malice remarked.

Malice felt two cold stares as soon as she said this. She looked at Cierra who had drawn her staff, and a fiery gaze of fury. She quickly looked back at Soala and felt those eyes scanning her every move. Soala got up and drew her fan, ready to attack.

"Calamity Flare!" Cierra yelled.

"Tornado Flame!" Soala exclaimed.

Malice reached behind her back to draw Skadi. As she pulled it in front of her she felt her weapon decrease drastically in weight. She looked down at her hands to see she was holding a microphone. Her eyes widened as the two attacks closed in on her. Malice yelled in pain as the fiery spells engulfed her in flames. As the flames subsided, Malice was now completely covered in soot and ash, even the hair that was her pride and joy, was covered in the black substance.

"I told you you'd get what's coming to you Malice." Cierra whispered to Malice.

She grumbled to herself and walked off the set, heading towards the bathroom. As she trudged a long the stage floor, she noticed Rose at the soundboard but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was to be done with this so she could regain her diviner. Rose quickly went back to her seat at the table and talked to Ein telekinetically.

"Ein, for some reason I could hear your thoughts."

"My...my thoughts?" Ein replied back with his thoughts.

"There! You did it again! Somehow you have managed to be able to connect to me using your thoughts."

"...I don't like where this is going..."

"Correct you are, Ein."

Rose smiled at him warmly, but Ein could see past that and the devilish plans Rose has in store for him. He went back his cooking and had created a lovely sauce using the tomato pulp by adding various herbs. What was Rose planning? He knew when she had a plan, that it was meticulously calculated and planned well. He quickly halted his thoughts as he remembered what she had just said. Did she hear what I was thinking? He took a glance a look at Rose, and she nodded her head. He struggled to swallow as he gulped in fear. Rose communicated with him telekinetically again.

"Hey Ein..."

"Y...Yes Rose?" Ein replied using his thoughts.

"Remember that time when you were taking a bath the day before I turned into a sprite..."

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Oh noes! The rest of this chapter is missing! Nah, not really. Hate to stop it right here, but it'll keep you wanting more. I'm so evil like that. 


	4. The Confessions

**Disclaimer: **Same as chapter 3.

_Author's Notes: _I've pulled out all of the tricks I had out of my hat in order to make this story as funny and as enjoyable as possible. I also didn't expect to update it as fast as I had because of school.

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"...Rose, I don't like where this is going!" Ein exclaimed. 

"Too bad, you can't escape my telepathic connection!" she replied.

Ein could now clearly see the pictures being formed into his mind like a home video. He saw himself going to the springs, alone. He looked around and saw no one so he took off his clothes and dipped into the springs. With his cupped hands, he put them into the water and then brought his hands back up towards his face. The water gave him a fresh feeling as it hit his face. Ein heard some soft rustle in the bushes but he ignored it and sat in the water for a period of time. The video's image quickly disappated as Ein interjected.

"Rose, how did you get such a view...oh you didn't...you did not do such a thing..."

"Oh yes I did, but not in the way you think. I was merely only keeping an eye on you to make sure nothing happened..." Rose trailed off.

"But something did happen, didn't it?" Ein quickly questioned.

"Indeed it did, now if you let me rewind here..."

The images quickly returned to where it stopped but was now in a speedy reverse to where Ein put the water on his face.

"Right here, when you heard the rustle in the bushes." Rose said.

Ein could now clearly see Rose in her familiar form. She was hiding in one of the nearby bushes near the springs, and no doubt, she could see Ein sitting there in the water. The rusting noise came from the bush next to Rose. She crept slowly through the bush to see who it was. Rose had exclaimed to herself as she saw Fia, blushing red and had a great view of Ein. Rose was astounded at the sight when she had stepped on a dry leaf. The seemingly loud crackling sound alarmed Fia and looked towards the source of the noise. Rose quickly dove back to where she had come from and Fia continued watching Ein from her hot seat. The images were disrupted by an outburst from Ein,

"You mean Fia was watching me bathe in the springs?"

"What?" Serene shouted.

"Er...I mean...ah crap." he said to himself.

"Is this true Fia?" Lina questioned.

"Fia spying on Ein, this is quite interesting indeed." Cierra added.

They all awaited a response from Fia who was behind the stove, placing a tray into the oven. As she closed the oven door, she peered over the stove, darting her eyes around the room.

"Uhm...n...no I wa...wasn't..." Fia stuttered.

As she slowly stood up straight, everyone gasped.

"Fia is a bad liar!" Lina yelled.

"Fia, how could you! You're just as bad as Ein!" Serene added.

"Hey!" Ein argued.

"Did you see anything Fia?" Cierra asked with a devilish grin.

Everyone watched as Fia's face was a red as a tomato. Her mouth was dry as she tried to make out words, but failed miserably. Malice could not stop grinning as she was thinking of a great punch line to announce. Rose was sitting there at the table, also grinning to herself.

"_Perfect, and now to watch the fireworks_." she thought to herself.

"Fia is a pervert too!" Lina sang.

"I can't believe she was spying on him too!" Serene said.

"...Wait what do you mean 'too?'" questioned Cierra.

"Er...wait, I didn't mean it like that..." she replied, waving her open hands about.

"You were spying on me too, Serene!" Ein exclaimed.

Serene was also blushing red in the face. She quickly turned around to cover it but it was too late, everyone else had seen it already.

"Haha! Serene is a pervert too!" Lina sang out again.

"Shut up, squirt!" Serene retorted, still red in the face.

"Bwaaa! Serene is a meanie!" she cried out.

"Serene...just admit that you saw me bathing..." Ein started.

"I...no...but...and...alright! Fine, I had a quick glance..." she yelled as she turned around, folding her arms across her chest.

Ein raised his eyebrow and looked at Serene.

"Come on Serene, you have to give me a little credit here. I'm not that guillible."

"...Ugh. Fine. I was looking for you. You just happened to be...bathing when I found you..."

"And instead of shouting for me, you were hiding somewhere watching me bathe!" Ein questioned.

"...I...er...well, you see...I..." Serene stuttered, pushing her index fingers together. "...I saw Lina there too!"

As she pointed, Ein quickly turned his head around towards Lina's direction and so did everyone else. Lina's face was quickly turning red as well.

"Hehehehe...Lina doesn't know what Serene is talking about..." Lina said.

"Lina...but...I thought you had chores to do at the time." Fia said.

"Er...well...Lina finished early...so Lina was looking for Ein as well..." Lina struggled to form the words.

"I can't believe this! The only one that hadn't watched me was..." Ein started before slowly drifting his words to face Cierra.

"...What? Why...are you looking at me like that Ein?" Cierra questioned.

"Lina saw Cierra hiding in the bush next to me!" Lina exclaimed, happily taking the attention off of her.

"Now now, hold on a minute..." Cierra started, slightly blushing.

"There is no way I'm holding on. All of you shouted at me when I had accidently walked in when you were taking baths, how come when you were watching me, you were all ninjas about it!" Ein shouted in frustration.

"Now now, calm down Ein..." Cierra said.

"I will not calm down! Next thing you know, you're gonna say...Soala saw me as well!" Ein said pointing at Soala.

"Er...well...about that..." Cierra replied. "She...was kinda with me at the time..."

Ein had looked at Cierra with bulging eyes as he lowered his arm slowly, before it flopped to his side. He slowly looked back at Soala who was now also blushing.

"Soala? Are you serious?" Ein questioned.

"Uhm...well...it's quite a funny story actually..." Soala started, but Ein cut her off.

"Is there anyone else I should know about?" Ein shouted.

"Well, I did see...some kind of funny fish in the water when Ein had got out of the water..." Lina butted in.

"Fish...? Wait, fish...there's only one person I know that fits that description!" Ein looked around the stage and found the person he was looking for sitting in the audience. "Meute!"

The lights faded out as two spot lights closed in onto the undine sitting in the crowd. As the spot lights hit their mark, it was clear that Meute saw Ein naked from underwater as now she was blushing too.

"I...well...it...it...it...was...La...die's...idea..." she managed to say.

The spot lights now quickly shined above Ladie as now she was blushing too.

"I...I would never do such a thing to master Ein!" she denied as best as she could but someone butted in.

"Nya! Mursya saw you hiding behind a rock nya!" Mursya chimed in.

"You saw me too?" Ein questioned.

"Of course nya! But unlike everyone else, I gladly admit I did nya!" she replied.

"Okay, I've had enough of this. Everyone who saw me bathe on that day, raise your hand." he commanded. As he looked around the room, one by one, everyone slowly raised their hands up. Ein was absolutely flabbergasted.

"Everyone in Elendia was there?" everyone had nodded in approval.

"Wait! Those three didn't put up their hands!" Serene exclaimed as she pointed towards the judges table. Ledah, Malice and Rose looked on at the bulging eyes of everyone else.

"Heh. I've known Ein since we were in Asgard. Infact, quite often we bathed together." Ledah stated.

Everyone's eyes were now opened even more and their mouths wide open. They all looked at Ein with those wide eyes. Ein didn't expect Ledah to openly admit that to everyone and he quickly took on the defense.

"We were very good friends! It's nothing like what all of you had done, since you spied on me!"

"Don't forget that you did the same thing to us..." Fia said, with a glare.

"But it was an accident! And you saw me anyway! You were spying on me for quite a while and none of you even owned up to it!" he quickly countered.

"But that's different...wait, you and Ledah bathed together? So...Ein...what does he look like? You know...under all of that clothing..." Cierra asked with a curious look.

Ein was now blushing as he tried to avoid answering the question but when Ledah had heard what Cierra asked, his eyes widened for a split second, surprised and slightly embarrassed. Malice was the only one to notice this and decided to use it to her advantage.

"Oh, what's this? Ledah is shaken up? This is a rare occasion indeed!" she announced.

Everyone wondered what Malice was talking about but as they turned their attention towards Ledah, they all saw what she was yapping on about. He raised his eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, trying to maintain his poker face but to no avail. Everyone saw he was blushing ever so slightly and his head wasn't held up as high as it normally was. Ledah glanced at Malice from the corner of his eye and she was enjoying this situation, laughing and she had finally beaten Ledah.

"Ein...I'm sorry, but I have to do this, for my sake and for your own." Ledah thought to himself.

Malice stopped laughing as she turned towards Ledah, who was smirking to himself.

"Hmm? What's so funny Ledah? You've finally lost all control of your emotions have you?" Malice sneered.

"Absolutely not. I was just reminiscing the times Ein and I shared when I also remembered that I saw someone who was watching us. It didn't matter to me at first, but then I kept seeing that same person, every time I bathed with Ein. It started to bother me, so I decided to investigate."

Malice stopped laughing and found it difficult to swallow, drops of sweat formed around her forehead as Ledah kept telling his story.

"It turns out that this person was a female and had blond hair. I asked around and it turns out that this particular person is here right now."

As soon as Ledah said these words, Ein looked directly at Malice. She slowly turned her eyes towards Ein as she was now blushing. His mouth was wide open, unable to string any words together to make a coherent sentence.

"Also, as it turns out, this particular person wasn't interested in watching me at all. When Ein was bathing alone, I saw her there hiding behind one of the pillars, watching him."

Everyone was now laughing as Malice was as red as red could be. She held her head low, unwillingly wanting to meet the eyes of the others but someone caught her attention.

"Ein and Malice sitting in a tree!" Lina started.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Serene chimed in.

"First comes love, then comes marriage!" Cierra sang along.

"And then comes a baby in a baby's carriage!" Fia finished.

Everyone was now roaring in laughter at the song by the quartet. Ein and Malice glanced a quick look at each other before looking away again, still red in the face. Ein had to do something to not only get the attention off of himself, but also Malice. Ein then looked at Rose and grinned.

"So, Rose, what about you then?"

Rose quickly froze at hearing the words. She had to think up something quick, otherwise she will be embarrassed in front of everyone, by Ein. She could never let that happen, but she couldn't say that she was the same familiar that was labeled Gateau by Cierra.

"Well, er you see...funny you mention that..."

"...Go on..." Ein said, smiling evilly.

"Ever since we traveled together...I had to keep an eye out for demons when you were bathing so...I guess I took a quick glance now and again...but nothing compared to everyone else gawking at you!"

Rose sighed to herself, managing to dodge a bullet. Ein was determined to crack Rose for what she had caused. He could feel the fire burning inside him, the power to go all the way, nothing would stop him. He had the perfect idea to take Rose down from her high horse, but Rose was well aware of his plan. She was thinking quickly of a way to stop him. It suddenly hit her, the perfect idea. It didn't matter if it was true or not, she had to do something to prevent Ein from revealing who she was. It was risky, but Rose had to do it.

"Oh, did I mention that when I had visited Asgard, I stumbled upon a very rare scene..."

Ein stopped in his tracks, and was worried. He looked at Ledah too and he could clearly sense that he was worried too, even though he didn't show it.

"That one moment, how did Rose know about it?" he thought. Rose looked at Ein and smiled evilly. "I'm such an idiot! She can read my thoughts! Ledah...I'm sorry..."

Rose was smiling as she continued on with the story, "I saw, Ein and Ledah together, alone." Everyone was hanging on from her every word, waiting for the crushing blow which would scar Ein and Ledah for an eternity. Even Malice was listening intently.

"Ledah and Ein...they shared a special relationship, everyone knows that. What I saw however, was truly beyond this special relationship all of you had thought. What I saw with my own eyes, they do not lie. Their lips met with the other and they shared a passionate moment..."

Everyone's eyes were as big as dinner plates. They looked at Ein, then at Ledah, then at Ein again. The words which Rose had spoken still had not completely sunk in yet. Ein summoned up enough courage to speak, even though it would break the utter confusion and focus on him, at least they wouldn't be gawking at Ledah as well.

"Uh...it's no..not how s...she says it is...I tripped over a rock and...I fell on Ledah and...he caught me in his arms but...he fell over too and...it was an accident..."

Serene looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Suuuure...like the time you 'accidentally' destroyed the golem and you just happened to stumble upon everyone that was bathing in the springs."

"But...but..."

"She has a point there Ein..." Fia added, blushing slightly. "It's okay, Ein. Some people just have different preferences..."

"It's nothing like that!" He yelled.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the speakers, breaking the weird atmosphere surrounding the room.

"30 minutes have elapsed."

"Ah! My main course!" Cierra exclaimed in a worried tone as she hurried back to her home-made rotisserie.

"Mine too!" Serene added as she followed suit.

"Lina's broth should be ready now!" Lina announced as she skipped back to her bench.

"Ah, my main course needs a new glaze coat too." Fia said calmly as she walked back to her area.

"...My tomatoes!" Ein shouted as he dashed back to his stove.

Malice was still in a state of shock at what just happened, her mouth a wide, gaping hole. All of the controversies, events, and embarrassing moments were forgotten in a blink for everyone, except herself. She was puzzled as she looked at the group of five working away.

"This is just ludicrous. All of that just now, they have now completely put aside and are at full blast once again. Their physical and mental strength is off the charts...No wonder I was beaten by them." Malice said to herself.

If there was one consolation prize Malice had throughout the whole ordeal, was that she experienced a Ledah that was shaken up and taken by surprise.


	5. The Plot Thickens

**Disclaimer:** Same old same old.

_Author's Notes: School has been driving me up the wall lately, not doing as well as I had hoped in a few subjects, I forced myself to study harder. The result being I had not been able to devote much time to continue this fanfic. I assure you however, the ending will go off with a bang, so just hang in there everyone._

* * *

"The battle is halfway done and we've seen plenty of fireworks go off. Now, how will this end?" Malice said. "I guess now is a good time to get a closer look at how they're doing." 

She clutched her microphone in one hand and headed towards Cierra. The witch was adding some beef stock to her pot when Malice had peered over her shoulder, wondering what she was doing.

"What do we have here?" she asked.

"Beef stock." Cierra replied.

"And what's that you have in your pot?"

"Numerous vegetables which will be slowly cooked, adding to the flavour." she said. "Why are you so nice all of a sudden?"

"...I was forced to do this, and it doesn't take a genius to realise that being this close to you would be a suicide mission."

Cierra shrugged off Malice's comment and turned to her large portion of meat, rotating it once again. She reached into her bag to pull out some chillies and began to slice them.

"And what are these for?" Malice said, pointing at the chillies.

"They're going into the pot." she replied, as she added them to the pot before putting the lid on top. Cierra grabbed more chillies from her bag and continued slicing them.

"...How many are you going to put in there?" Malice questioned with a puzzled look.

"I'd say another twenty will do." Cierra said, smiling.

Everyone cringed at Cierra's statement. They looked towards the judge's table and they saw Rose and Soala also cringing at the thought of eating something with that many chillies.

_"We are so going to die a horrible, horrible death."_ Rose thought.

_"She must know I've told Ein her real age..."_ Soala thought.

Ledah however, was calm as usual. Malice was eager to see the results when Ledah would get a taste of this concoction Cierra had made.

"...Anyway, what's this in your bowl?" Malice said, peering into the bowl on the table.

"That's my chocolate pudding...shame I don't have an oven to put it in..."

"That's because you blew up yours right?" Malice asked rhetorically. She chortled, making her way to Serene's area.

"Oh, and by the way, if you wanted to know, Ein's favourite flower is the hibiscus." Cierra said to Malice, hiding a devilish grin.

"Shut up! I didn't need to know that!" she said quickly, making her way to Serene's area. "And what do we have here?"

"I refuse to answer that question." Serene snapped.

"...I meant food wise." Malice replied.

"Oh, well. For starters I have finished my sushi rolls here." she said, pointing at the plate of cut up sushi rolls. Malice tilted her head at the same level as the table, looking at what was inside.

"What's this green stuff in the middle?"

"That's wasabi. I made it myself and I have to admit, this one gives you quite a kick." Serene answered with a grin.

_"I don't like the sound of that..."_ Rose thought with a grim look on her face.

_"Maybe Serene knows about the time I told Ein her weight too..."_ Soala thought.

"And over here we have some beautiful fish which is being steamed with lemons and herbs to give it that extra flavour." Serene continued.

"And what's this big pot of boiling water for?" Malice asked, turning her back on Serene towards the stove.

"That's for this!" Serene said, holding up a large lobster near Malice's face as she turned around.

Taken back by surprise at the creature Serene was holding in front of her face, Malice fell backwards towards the stove. Her black clothes immediately caught on fire and she quickly batted out the flames her hand. Black smoke slowly sifted into the air where the flame once was as Serene was roaring with laughter.

"Too hot to handle Malice?" She sneered at Malice, "Don't worry, I'm sure you and Ein will be fine together."

"That was joke was even more lamer than mine, and I do not like Ein at all!" She exclaimed, storming off towards Lina.

"Oh? You admit your jokes are lame? I'm glad we agree on something!" Serene said, winking at Malice with a wry smile.

Malice was absolutely furious. Serene just scored a blow and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no way some kid like Lina will score on her too. She'll make sure of that. Lina was happily minding her own business, adding the ramen noodles to the simmering broth when the dark cloud approached. Slapping her hand down onto the table, Malice glared at Lina.

"Well well, the little squirt can cook."

"I am not a squirt!" Lina argued.

"I don't care!" Malice exclaimed back.

Lina's eyes welled up with tears and the noise which followed was deafening. Everyone had looked at Malice and the murmurs spread across the room.

"That was definitely uncalled for." Rose whispered to Soala.

"I agree." She replied.

"How could she say something like that to a child? Disgraceful." Ladie said.

Murmurs of agreement filled the room and Malice was put on the spotlight. She looked down at her shaking fist. The amount of tension Malice faced was astronomical. Her conscience overcame her as she slowly opened her mouth to say the words.

_"Heh, this will be priceless."_ Ledah thought.

"...Lina, I...I...I'm..." Malice struggled to get the words out, "I'm...sorry."

Lina was still bawling her eyes out, ignoring what Malice just said.

"I'm sorry damnit!" Malice screamed, but Lina was still crying. She quickly dug her hands into the various pockets her black, flamboyant clothing had and somehow managed to find a lollipop.

"Will you stop it if I give you this?" She said, hold out the lollipop in front of Lina's face.

"Yep!" She replied as she quickly snatched the lollipop from Malice's cold grip.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Oh you little..."

"Nyah! I got you good! Not only I made you say sorry, I got a lollipop from you too!" Lina said, sticking her tongue out at her.

"That's it! My patience has just exploded into an unfathomable number of microscopic pieces! Come here you!" Malice said with an outstretched arm but Lina was too quick for her.

"Malice sure does use a lot of unnecessary words at times." Cierra said.

Lina was running around the room, lollipop in tow with an angry Malice close behind. The chase continued as Lina's lithe and small body weaved through the obstacles while Malice burst right through them. Finally, Malice met her match. As she was chasing Lina, she passed by Ein's area, which still had water on the floor. Unaware of the lack of traction, she slid right into Ein who was tasting his tomato sauce. The impact Malice caused forced Ein right off his feet and landed onto the floor, with Malice on top.

"Ugh, damn that brat. I'll get my...eh?" Malice said, looking down.

"Malice...wait! Before you do anything rash, you crashed into me!" Ein stuttered.

Serene wondered what all the commotion was about so she peered around the bench Ein was working at. Her eyes bulged out at the scene she was witnessing. Malice was on top of Ein, and his hands, grasping her chest area.

"Ein...you...you lecher! First me, and now Malice? You've sunken to a new low..."

"Wait! Didn't you see what happened? It...and...Malice...and then..." Ein tried to explain. The others were now also watching the strange situation and shook their head in disgust.

"...It might help...if you...stop...grabbing me there!" Malice yelled.

She swiftly gave Ein a punch in the face before brushing herself off. She got onto her feet and headed towards Fia's area. The faint yells of pain of Ein filled Malice's ears as Serene was giving him the beating of his life.

"So, what are these funny looking things in your soup?" Malice questioned.

"These are bamboo shoots." Fia replied.

"Bamboo shoots huh? Well, I can't exactly say I would enjoy eating those..."

"You don't eat them, it's to flavour the soup." Fia interupted.

"...I knew that." Malice said quickly, "At least there's noodles in there. Honestly, I don't see how someone could prepare a menu composed entirely of non-meat products. What's in the oven anyway? Some sort of magical vegetable which needs cooking?"

Malice bent down, peering into the window of the oven. She raised left eyebrow at what she saw in the oven and quickly looked at Fia.

"What the hell is that?" She asked with a puzzled look.

"That would be the chicken." Fia replied.

"No. Way. I thought you were a vegetarian."

"I am. You see, the chicken is made entirely out of tofu." Fia said with a smile.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, including Serene giving the beat down on Ein and the eerie silence filled the room. The chirping noises of crickets filled the air...

"Rose! Stop playing with the soundboard!" yelled Malice.

"There goes my fun..." Rose said to herself before taking her place back at the table.

"It doesn't hurt to try something different you know." Fia growled.

"We all know that's a lie. Anyway, moving on, we come to the last contestant..." Malice's words trailed off. The audience ooh'ed in unison which Malice tried to ignore. "Ein...what are you cooking?"

Ein had slowly got up after the beating he received from Serene but the grim angel suddenly sprung back into action, surprising Malice.

"Well, my pasta sauce is simmering now and I've just finished making my actual pasta noodles." he replied holding up the long strands of pasta.

"That's nice, I guess..." Malice commented in a softer voice than her usual self. This got another ooh from the audience which was quickly stopped when Malice had stared them down. "Any plans for the main course?"

"Actually, I do. It's..."

"Hey! Fia! Remember that movie we watched about those two dogs?" Lina butted in.

"Lady and the Tramp?"

"Yeah! That's the one!"

"What about it?...Oh, I see what you are talking about. That would be so romantic." Fia said.

"Yeah! Ein and Malice could do that pasta scene!"

As soon as Lina said this, not only did the audience ooh in unison, there were also high pitched whistling sounds coming from Rose and Serene. Malice and Ein glanced at each other quickly, then looked away.

"_Wait a minute, if I win maybe Ein and I could..."_ The four girls daydreamed. Ein stared blankly at them, unaware of what they were thinking. The thought of it made them blush slightly before Malice finally spoke out.

"I would never do such a thing!" The sudden outburst snapped the girls out of their daydream.

"Wait a minute, you mean you actually watched that movie? I never knew you were into such things." Serene questioned with a wry smile.

"I...I mean...you see...damnit! I hate you all!" Malice yelled, storming away from the kitchen. As she stormed past Ledah towards the dressing room, he gave a wry smile which annoyed her even more.

Ein, completely stumped at the situation, sprung into action and added the noodles into a pot of boiling water. After adding salt to the water, he started to clean his knife, preparing for his main course.

"Sometimes I wonder..." Soala thought to herself out loud.

"What's wrong, Soala?" Rose asked.

"Sometimes, I wonder what's going on in Ein's mind. You know, after everything that happened so far, all of the craziness, one can not possibly imagine what he's thinking right now."

"Sometimes I wonder myself as well." she replied. As Rose said this, she saw an image pop into her head, from Ein's thoughts, and what she saw shocked her.

_"Ein! How are you able to think of a thing at a time like this?"_ She thought to herself.


	6. The Stooges

**DISCLAIMER: **Same as chapter 7, I mean, 5.

_Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who has read / reviewed the story so far. It really helps that people actually enjoy reading what I write. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Read on!_

* * *

There Rose stood, at the soundboard. To her left, she saw Ein, without a scratch on him, and his clothes were in perfect condition. Malice stood out front, announcing that Ein was the winner and 'We Are The Champions' started playing in the background. She face faulted upon hearing the song whilst everyone else was cheering for him, including Ledah. 

"...You've gotta be kidding me. This is the most farfetched daydream I've come across, even for _his_ standards. " Rose said to herself, placing her hand across her forehead and shaking her head.

"...Rose?" said a distant voice. "Rose!"

"Who? What? Where?" Rose said with confusion.

"You kinda spaced out there...the same as when I told Cierra that blue and red make purple. Were you daydreaming about something?" Soala questioned.

"...I guess you could put it that way." Rose replied. "Wait, she didn't know blue and red make purple? How'd that topic come up anyway?" At this moment, Malice had quietly entered the stage without Rose or Soala noticing. Ledah was well aware of her presence, however, he kept quiet.

"Well...she wanted to know..." Soala murmured to Rose. At this point, Malice slowly tiptoed right behind Rose and Soala, eager to find out what the big secret was. She smirked to herself as Soala finished speaking.

"That isn't your natural hair colour?" Rose exclaimed.

"Sssh!" Soala put her index finger to her lips but it was too late. The five chefs looked at Soala with a quizzical look. Then they felt the cold breathing of Malice down their necks who had obviously heard the big news

"Well well, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. So what is your natural colour then? Grey? White?" Malice sneered. "That might explain why you tried to set me on fire. Cierra as well. Please stop me if I'm wrong."

An eerie silence covered the room for a few seconds. Soala slowly sank into her chair, beaten by Malice. Sensing victory, Malice then turned to Rose.

"Speaking of cats, you wouldn't happen to know that little familiar who followed Ein around, would you?"

"...No I don't." Rose replied cooly.

"Well, how do you know about..." Malice's interrogation was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion followed quickly by a earth shaking tremor. "...What the crap? Can't you five settle down for even a minute without something going wrong?"

"Did you just ask a rhetorical question?" asked Rose.

"Did you just answer the question by asking a rhetorical question?" Malice snapped back.

"You just did as well." Rose replied. A few seconds passed before Malice finally spoke out.

"...I have bigger fish to fry." Malice ended the conversation and surveyed the surroundings. Fia's bench had no sign of any explosion which was no surprise. Moving her eyes down the room, Lina was next in the firing range. Her bench was quite a mess, with bits of food sprawled over the benches, but nothing signifying a bomb going off. Lina had just placed a baking tray into her oven before Malice's eyes averted to Serene's area. She was checking on the lobster before adding a few balls, presumably food, into another steamer. Malice finally found the culprit. Cierra's pot containing the chilli casserole had expanded quite a bit, especially around the middle. The damage was minor though, as the contents inside were still intact as Cierra picked up the lid and put it back on. Malice glided along the floor towards Cierra.

"What the hell happened to that thing?"

"I'm not too sure." Cierra replied, "But from what I deduced from the damages, it appears that the dihydrogren monoxide in the casserole had evaporated into a gaseous state, but it was trapped under the confines of the lid. The gas built up, increasing the pressure and after the pot couldn't take much more, the evaporated substance forced itself out of the pot."

"Oh yes, I completely understood what you just said." Malice said sarcastically, "Yeah right, only an old hag like yourself could think of such an explanation which no one can comprehend what you just said!"

"She actually isn't that old." Ein butted in, "She's only a hu..."

Ein's face had met the cold hard surface of a frying pan which stopped his sentence entirely, before collapsing to the ground, face first.

"Oh my, sorry Ein. I didn't see you there." Cierra said in a clumsy tone with a smile.

"...Sure you did." Malice added. "Anyway, I demand a translation of what she just said!"

"The water in the casserole turned to steam and the lid stopped it from escaping. The pot couldn't take the pressure and the lid popped open, which was the loud bang you heard." Ein said with a muffled tone, his face still on the floor.

"And how the hell did you know that?" Malice asked.

"Well, after hanging around with Cierra for so long, one is bound to learn what happens during these types of sit...Oww!" Ein rubbed his head, only to notice a large frying pan which sat on top.

"Sorry, Ein! My hand slipped again." Cierra said, smiling innocently.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed throughout the room. "Forty-five minutes have elapsed."

"Finally, this is almost over." Malice said to herself. "These bland intervals where nothing happens is so boring. I'd rather watch water boil."

"Hey! Serene!" Lina called out.

"What?" She replied.

"You done yet?" Lina asked.

"Almost, just have to wait for everything to be cooked. Serene replied. "Wait why do you want to know that?"

"Lina wants to challenge Serene!"

"Challenge? You're on!" She replied.

"Yay! Okay, rules are, whoever boils all of their water first wins." Lina exclaimed. At this moment, Malice raised her eyebrow. Ledah smirked to himself at the irony Malice put herself in.

"Okay!...Hey wait a minute! Boiling water? What the crap?" Serene said with confusion.

"And Malice can be the judge!" Lina added.

"No I will not!" Malice disagreed instantly.

"But you said you'd rather watch water boil..." Lina said, her eyes widened, looking at Malice.

"...Fine. Although, I find the idea completely ridiculous." She replied.

"Behold! Something else Malice and I agree with!" Serene added.

"You don't need to be so melodramatic about it." Malice commented

The two of them took a pot, filled it to the top with water, and brought them to a stove top. They turned the dial on the stove to release the gas and lit a match each.

"I can't believe I'm doing this...Go." Malice said, unenthusiastically.

Serene and Lina put their matches into the flowing gas and it set alight. The flames calmed down and the contest of boiling water began. Both of them were waiting for the first signs of bubbles in the water. Only a mere few seconds past when Malice walked away.

"This is stupid. You can referee your own damn water boiling contest." She said in an annoyed tone.

Serene and Lina were still waiting for the water to boil. Bubbles were appearing more rapidly in the water, signifying it was close to boiling point.

"Hey Lina! There's an applecot behind you!" Serene suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah right! Lina isn't fooled that easily!" Lina replied. Serene then picked up an applecot from the table and threw it behind Lina.

"How about now?"

Lina turned around and scrambled for the round fruit which rolled around the floor. Taking her chance, Serene switched off Lina's gas, extinguishing the fire under her pot.

"Hey! You're cheating!" Lina cried out.

"No I'm not. You never said anything about outside interference" Serene said with a smile.

"Lina will show you!"

Lina suddenly tackled Serene down and both of them crashed to the floor. Malice suddenly turned around and came back, watching the scene.

"Now this is more like it." Malice said, pulling up a chair.

Both Lina and Serene were rolling around on the floor, trying to get the upper hand. Eventually, Serene managed to get Lina in a head lock, rubbing her knuckles on top of Lina's head.

"Ack! Stop it Serene!" Lina managed to cry out.

"Not a chance! You started this!" She replied.

Lina managed to give Serene a quick elbow in the ribs from the struggling and then jumped onto Serene's back.

"Hey! Get off me you little squirt!" Serene exclaimed, trying to get a hold of Lina.

"No way!" She replied.

Lina and Serene continued struggling whilst Fia looked on at the scene. She shook her head in disappointment.

"Those two can be so immature at times...right Cierra?" Fia looked around the room and there was no sign of Cierra. "Cierra?"

Fia then spotted Cierra carrying a pot towards the stove Lina and Serene were using. She placed it on the stove and pointed her staff at it.

"Hit the deck!" Malice yelled out jokingly.

"Calamity Flare!"

The flames emanated from the staff and engulfed the contents of the pot. The steam filled the room as the flames slowly died down. Peering down into the pot Malice confirmed the water disappeared and she raised Cierra's arm.

"Our winner is Cierra!"

Serene and Lina stopped fighting to briefly take in what had just happened. They took a quick glance at each other before starting another quarrel.

"It's your fault we lost!" Serene exclaimed, pointing a finger at Lina.

"Nuh uh! Serene's fault!" Lina countered, pointing a finger at Serene.

"You want a piece of me?" Serene said in a provoking tone.

"Yeah! Lina want those wings so Lina can fly!"

"Well, too bad shorty! They're mine!"

"Now now, there's no need to fight you two..." Cierra butted in.

"Yes there is! Because Cierra cheated!" Lina said abruptly.

"...That doesn't even make any sense." Malice added.

"She never does." Serene said.

Lina's frustration got the better of her and she threw the applecot she was holding right at Serene's head. However, the attempt failed as Serene easily caught it in the palm of her hand. Serene quickly threw the round fruit. The applecot went towards Lina's direction, but it passed right over her head.

"You suck! Get off the field!" Malice said, with her hands around her mouth, making her voice somewhat louder than it already was.

"Damnit, I keep forgetting Lina is shorter than all of us." Serene thought to herself.

"Where'd the fruit go?" Cierra asked bluntly. A moment later, a loud thud was heard.

"Oww!" Ein cried out in pain.

"Ah! Sorry Ein! Are you ok?" Serene said quickly. "Ein? You ok?"

Ein gave no response as his body slouched slightly. Worried, Serene hurried to Ein to make sure he was ok. As she got closer, she could hear him sniffling.

"Ein?" Serene asked again, but got no response. "Don't cry on me now! I'm sorry!"

Ein wiped a tear from his eye and continued chopping, ignoring what Serene had said. She placed her hand on his shoulder and sighed. She was about to say something when she immediately thwacked Ein on the head with her other fist before storming off.

"Serene! What has gotten into you?" Fia said in a shocked tone. "Why'd you hit him for?"

"Take a close look at what he was cutting." Serene said in an annoyed tone.

Fia peered over Ein's shoulder and glared at him after she saw what was on the table.

"Ein, you really should have said you were cutting onions beforehand..."

"Yeah...maybe I should have." Ein said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Here, let me help you with that." Fia said, taking hold of Ein's hand.

A loud, echoing ooh came from the audience as Fia helped chop the onions with Ein.

"Lina saw Fia help Ein learn how to play the piano as well!" Lina suddenly burst out.

"That Fia...acting all innocent...she's good." Serene added. "Someone should stop her."

At this moment, a tomato projectile was seen flying past the room and hit the back of Fia's head. It exploded upon impact as bits of tomato juice flew into the air. A few moments passed as everyone waited. Without turning around, words escaped from Fia's lips.

"Malice...that was uncalled for."

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?" Malice said in a provoking tone.

As Fia turned around, Malice saw a stack of onion rings in the palm of her hand.

"That's what you're going to shut me up with? Onions?" Malice started laughing, mouth gaping wide.

Fia took this chance and swiftly grabbed one of the onion rings from the stack. With a flick of the wrist, the onion flew through the air like a discus and straight into Malice's mouth. Coughing and gagging, Malice's eyes were filled with tears from the horrible stench of the onion.

"That was a cheap shot!" Malice finally managed to say without coughing.

"Very well, consider this punishment for all of the insults you threw today." Fia said without emotion.

She quickly threw another three onion rings but Malice dived for the ground, before rolling back onto her feet. As Malice peered over the table, several more onions came flying her direction which she barely dodged again. Crossing her arms in front of her, Fia held one onion ring on each finger. She released the rings. It made a high pitched whirling sound as it pierced through the air towards Malice. Desperately trying to escape, Malice dove for the floor again, but the onions followed her and shoved themselves into her mouth, one after the other.

"Aaah! The taste! It's so foul! Can't...see...world...blacking..." Malice's words were cut off and she lied on the floor, unconscious. Suddenly, the speakers started playing a victorious themed song.

"Nice timing, Familiar." Ledah said.

"Th...er I mean, I'm not a familiar." Rose said, quickly correcting herself.

"Denial is the first step..." Ledah added, trailing his words off into a soft whisper.

"Fia, that was amazing! How did you learn that?" Cierra asked in amazement.

"When one learns to cook in the kitchen with Lina running around, you're bound to pick up a few skills necessary to subdue the distraction."

"Hey! It's not Lina's fault that you take too long to get the food ready!" Lina argued.

Ein had just finished preparing his main course when he heard the noise of shuffling feet from a distance. As he turned to look, he saw Malice's hand taking hold of a plum.

"This isn't over yet sprite!" Malice yelled, throwing the plum straight at Fia.

"Fia!" Ein exclaimed. He dove towards Fia, sending both of them to the ground, successfully dodging the plum. The fruit traveled through the air and had smacked Serene square on the head, leaving a purple stain there. Serene placed her hand over the spot, nursing the minor pain.

"You'll pay for that Malice! Lina, give me the banango." Serene commanded.

"Serene...you're not going to..." Lina started, handing her the banango.

"Yes, Lina. I'm going to use _that_."

"You can't! You tried so many times and you still can't get it!"

"Watch me." Serene said confidently.

Serene with her right eye closed, held the curved fruit which was half way peeled, in her right hand.

"Banango Throw!"

The piece of fruit left Serene's hand as it circled through the air like a boomerang. However, the banango's flight wasn't stable and veered off course. It went right past Malice and it hit Ledah in the face. The yellow fruit broke into pieces as it covered his face. Rose noticed Ledah's eye twitching.

"Told you Serene! You're on your own now!" Lina said, running away from Serene.

Ledah picked up a serviette from the table and wiped himself of the fruit from his face before standing up. He glided along the ground using his wings. Everyone watched silently as Ledah stood in front of Serene, who was literally quivering in her boots. His eye was still twitching.

"Ledah...she..." Ein started, but Ledah put up his hand, motioning him to stop.

"Before I begin, is there anything you would like to say?" Ledah said in his usual monotone.

"...It was an accident..." Serene muttered.

"Very well." Ledah held up his diviner, Lorelei. The weapon shone beautifully under the lights of the room.

"Ledah! No! Don't do it!" Ein shouted.

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Ooh! That's going to hurt. A cliffhanger right there. End of chapter.  



	7. The Next Ragnarok

**DISCLAIMER: **Same has Chapter 6.

_Author's Notes: I bet you didn't expect me to update this fast. Anyway, the end is drawing near. Keep reading and reviewing everyone! It really helps that I know people are actually still reading this._

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"On the last episode of Iron Chef Riviera, Serene was confronted by the Grim Angel, Ledah who had banango on his face. He had drew his diviner, Lorelei when Ein tried to stop him, but to no avail. What will happen to Serene? Can anyone stop Ledah? Find out on today's episode!"

Malice pushed a button on the remote she was holding. The giant screen, which had a still picture of Serene and Ledah with the others in the background, moved upwards, out of sight.

"That takes care of that business, now back to the show." She said, turning around.

"Ledah! No! Don't do it!" Ein shouted.

Ledah, ignoring Ein's pleas, grasped his diviner with one hand and pointed it at Serene. Closing her eyes, she stood there, waiting for what was to come. A few moments passed and nothing happened. Serene slowly opened one eye and suddenly she felt a cold trickle down her neck. As she looked up, she saw Ledah with an open carton of milk, its liquid flowing from the opening. She looked at him blankly, unable to process what had happened before Malice spoke out.

"That was lame Ledah! All that build up to pour milk on her? I thought you were going to use your execution skill or something!"

Ledah placed the carton of milk down on the table and quickly grabbed a bottle of tomato sauce. Spinning around, he squeezed the bottle and fired a stream right at Malice.

"Did you say something Malice? I wasn't paying attention." Ledah said.

"You know damn well I said something." Malice replied. "If that's how you want to play, then we'll play!"

Malice went to the ingredients table and grabbed a bottle of mustard. She squeezed the bottle and a yellow stream of mustard was fired from the nozzle of the bottle. Ledah stepped to the side and the mustard covered Serene's clothes instead. Looking down at her clothes, which were now covered with ribbons of yellow mustard, Serene's emotions were overloaded with rage. She looked back up at Malice who was smiling all the while. She didn't care that she missed, it still hit a viable target. The anger boiled within Serene as she took a hold of the half empty milk carton. The anger exploded as she threw it at Malice, the contents of the carton spilling on its way, some of which landed on Ledah's robes. The carton hit Malice's shoulder, milk covering her flamboyant black clothing she was presented with at the start of the contest.

"Food fight!" Lina suddenly cried out. She grabbed a bunch of cauliflower and threw it at Serene. At this point, Rose was at the soundboard, playing the 'Self-Disipline' theme through the speakers. Turning around to see what hit her, Serene was hit by a stream of tomato sauce from Ledah from behind. Grabbing a bottle of chilli sauce from the table, she dove for the ground and rolled behind a bench, taking cover. Malice had grabbed another bottle of unknown contents and started firing at Cierra. Oblivious to what was going on, the sauces hit their mark and Cierra's clothes were covered with saucy goodness. The sheer madness took a hold of Cierra as she reached for a frying pan to use as a shield from another projectile attack from Malice. Grabbing a punnet of strawberries, Cierra threw the whole lot at Malice. Some of the strawberries excreted their juices upon contact as they fell to the floor after hitting Malice. Ledah grabbed a can of whipped cream and took cover behind another bench.

Serene suddenly jumped out from her hiding place and fired a stream of chilli sauce at Lina. It hit their mark as the red, sticky sauce covered Lina's clothing. As Serene landed on the floor, she took cover behind another bench, unaware that Ledah was within firing range. Spotting Serene, Ledah shook up his can of whipped cream and blasted Serene with it. Quickly reacting, Serene shot her ammunition at Ledah and ended up trading blows. Lina quickly dashed to her bench and grabbed whatever food scraps were on the table; bits of carrot, celery, lettuce, lemon grass and threw them randomly at whatever target she could find, which happened to be Fia. Bits of vegetables hung in Fia's hair as Malice squirted more mustard at Fia. Following suit, Serene and Ledah fired their ammunition at her. Lastly, Cierra had thrown a bag of flour at Fia which stuck to her clothing and hair.

Fia stood there, dazed and shocked for a moment as she looked down at her clothes which were now soiled with food and condiments. What patience she had left diminished as she picked up a bunch of grapes. She ran her hand down the bunch of grapes, picking them off as her fingers passed over each one. Fia threw the grapes at Malice who managed to only dodge a couple as the grapes themselves spread over a wide area as they traveled. Quickly ducking to avoid a piece of broccoli thrown by Lina, Fia grabbed some cherries and flung them at Lina's direction to throw off her aim. With a shield in one hand, Cierra managed to get back to her bench to find ammunition. She grabbed her bowl which she had her pudding mix in and ducked for cover, preparing her next assault. To her left, she saw Serene refilling her sauce bottle. Getting her attention, they both nodded to each other, accepting an alliance. Serene passed Cierra a sauce bottle and started filling up another one for herself.

Malice was hunting Lina down with two bottle of sauce in tow however, she was too quick and too small of a target. Frustrated, Malice threw her sauce bottles to the ground and looked around the room.

"Ah, perfect. Just what I need." Malice said to herself.

She quickly grabbed a watermelon from the table and threw it at Lina's direction. The watermelon was almost as big as Lina herself as she barely evaded the oncoming fruit. On contact with the floor, the watermelon broke into pieces as it sprayed some of its contents onto Lina. Spitting out a few seeds which entered her mouth, Lina then wiped her face using her sleeve. Suddenly, she got an idea as she scrambled for the largest watermelon piece she found and dove behind a nearby table which was on its side.

Through all of this, Ein was still contempt with continuing with his dishes. Surprisingly enough, no one had noticed him as they were too busy trying to get someone else.

"It's only a matter of time now...soon someone will 'accidentally' hit me with a fruit or some kind of cheese." Ein thought. "Cheese! I knew I forgot something for my pasta..."

Ein looked at the table across the room which had a plethora of ingredients, one of which included cheese. In his eyes, it seemed the pathway to the table stretched further and further away, out of his grasp. He had to walk the green mile, which was mostly from the vegetable scraps on the floor. Ein took one step forward and as if by a trigger, Serene suddenly popped out and squirted barbecue sauce from her bottle. Ein quickly dove to the floor, doing a somersault in mid air before hitting the ground. Quickly getting back to his feet, he ran for the table. He grabbed the cheese wheel he was looking for in one arm and as he turned around, he saw Cierra with a wicked grin standing a small distance from him. She drew her bottle and squirted ketchup at him. Unable to think quickly, Ein's body literally fell backwards towards the ground. He watched the ceiling as a stream of sticky tomato sauce passed over him. Taking his chance, he crawled on all fours and hurried back to his bench. Cierra was about to fire another shot when something hit the back of her head. She turned around to find Rose, covered with tomato sauce, and a tub of cottage cheese in hand.

"Well well, it seems that you missed." Rose said.

"Oh my, sorry about that." Cierra replied with a smile.

"No worries." Rose said.

As Cierra turned around, Rose threw another chunk of cottage cheese are Cierra which lodged itself into her red hair. Cierra squeezed the bottle and fired another stream of sauce at Rose but blocked it using a large cheese wheel as a shield. Rose was about to hurl another chunk of cottage cheese when Cierra retreated. Rose chased after her ditching the cheese wheel knowing that she was on the offense. Suddenly, Cierra called out loud.

"Serene! I need some back up!"

Serene jumped out from behind a bench nearby Rose and bombarded her with large, plump tomatoes. Cierra followed up by firing more sauce at Rose. Cheese were flying everywhere from Rose's hand but it had missed their targets as both Serene and Cierra took cover behind a bench. Unhappy with the results, Rose went back to the judge's table and sat down, arms folded across her chest.

"That's one down." Cierra said, nodding to Serene.

Fia grabbed a bottle of soda water from one of the cupboards and shook it up. Ledah stood up as well, surveying the area for any victims. He spotted Fia and started to take flight, spinning the can of whipped cream in the palm of his hand. Opening the lid of the shaken up bottle, Fia released the soda water, aiming directly for Ledah. A loud hissing sound was released, along with the water only to have Ledah gracefully dodge it. As he was about to fire the cream at Fia, he was hit by a barrage of seeds. He looked to his left to find Lina standing on a bench with a mouth full of watermelon seeds. Lina bombarded Ledah with more seeds as he tried to avoid them. Eventually, Ledah was forced to retreat behind an overturned table. Lina was breathing heavily after the attack as she sat down on the floor.

Serene grabbed a bucket full of ice and forced the contents onto the floor, covering a large area. The noise grabbed Malice's attention as she spotted Serene hiding behind a nearby bench. She hovered above the ground to avoid the ice as she moved in for the kill. Serene fought bravely, emptying her contents of barbecue sauce onto Malice, but to no avail. Malice had finally backed Serene to a wall, holding up two bottles.

"Would you like the mustard or the mystery prize?" Malice said in an evil tone.

"Hey, Malice!" Cierra shouted out.

As Malice turned around, about to yell at Cierra for distracting her, she found herself swallow a small object. As the object went down into her stomach, Malice started to feel weak and unable to keep flight. Laughter escaped from Malice's mouth as she clutched her ribs with both arms.

"What...haha...did you do to me? Hahaha!" Malice asked.

"A mini laughing mushroom." Cierra said with a wicked grin.

Serene got to her feet, walking past a laughing Malice who was now on the ground and gave Cierra a hi-five.

"Nice one. Now, let's finish her off. Everyone! Let's go!" Serene exclaimed, pointing her index finger into the air.

Cierra reached into her bag and started throwing balls of pudding mixture at Malice. From above, Ledah fired whipped cream as Malice rolled around, only helping it get into her hair. Serene added flour to Malice's torment whilst Fia topped it off by pouring a bottle of soda over a now flour covered Malice.

"Flour and water make a great glue, but I never tried it using soda." Fia added when Serene looked at her.

Finally, Lina came in from the side and rubbed two onions into Malice's face. Cries of laughter and pain filled the room as Malice lied on the floor, too tired to even protect herself. Ein had finished adding the cheese to his pasta sauce and was now in the process of making his cake batter. Ein gingerly lifted the glass bowl containing the batter and was about to put it in the oven when his foot stepped on a large ice cube. The ice cube slipped from under him as Ein fell backwards, sending the glass bowl into the air. Looking towards the ceiling, he saw the ceiling fan, spinning around. Suddenly it hit him. The cake batter had escaped the confines of the bowl as it approached the fan. Only a few moments had passed as the cake batter hit the fan and spread across the room. The cake batter had sprawled itself along the walls of the room, covering the audience with it as well as Rose and Soala who were sitting at the far side of the room. A loud crash signified that the glass bowl had shattered as Ein got up, rubbing his head where he had hit the ground. As he surveyed the room, he noted the large group at the other side of the room. Ledah, Cierra, Lina, Serene and Fia were hit hard by the cake batter as large blobs covered their clothes. Malice's laughter finally died down, the laughter shroom was wearing off.

Suddenly, the speakers boomed once again.

"Ten minutes remaining!"

The four chefs looked at each other and were not amused at the situation.

"Ein is such a clumsy fool. He'd give you a run for your money Cierra." Serene whispered.

"Ugh, this won't come out easily." Fia added in a low voice looking at her clothes.

"Do you think..." Cierra started.

"Yeah, after this we should..." Lina finished.

Ledah didn't say anything and flew back to the judge's table. All four nodded to each other before turning around to face Ein. Staring blankly at the four, Ein was about to open his mouth when Rose's thoughts interrupted him.

"Ein! I know this might sound absolutely absurd coming from me, but they're obviously going to clean themselves up after this, and we all know how sticky a mixture of flour and water can get."

Suddenly, Ein's eyes lit up. He didn't know why Rose would tell him such information but he didn't bother questioning her. As Ein started to grab plates and bowls to serve his dishes in, Rose thought to herself.

"That'll show Cierra for getting me involved in that food fight..." Rose looked down at her clothes. "...What have I done?"

Rose suddenly saw images in her head. She saw the Undine Springs and as the scenery blurred, she suddenly found the four girls, completely naked. Serene and Lina were splashing each other with water as Fia and Cierra were having a conversation. Rose shook her head.

"I can't believe I have to see this, again." Rose said to herself.

Suddenly, a few more sprites entered her view, also naked. Ladie, Soala and Meute were in view but what Rose saw next absolutely shocked her. She saw herself naked, having a grand old time in the springs. Rose blushed a deep red, unable to say or think anything except that one image of herself. Suddenly, the images blacked out.

"...You...didn't see any of that...did you Rose?" Ein asked nervously using the telepathic connection.

"Oh...um...see what?" Rose said with a dazed and confused expression.

"Never mind." Ein quickly responded.

"Five minutes remaining!" The speaker boomed.

The five chefs quickly sprung into action with a new life as they started to mount their food onto plates and bowls to present to the judges. The hustling noise was giving Malice a splitting head ache as she stood up, covered in countless ingredients and stickiness. She managed to take a few steps before collapsing to the floor again.

"Damn them all, they will pay for this. Mark my words, I will get my revenge." Malice said to herself, tightly clenching her fist.

"Time is up!" The speakers boomed.

The five chefs lined up their food in front of the judge's table, themselves standing behind it. A few minutes passed before they finally turned around. Malice was still on the floor unable to get up.

"Oh right, I have to announce what foods you made...ugh. Fine."

Suddenly, Malice stood up and took leaping strides to the front of the table.

"Cierra, the scarlet witch, the nightmare of kitchens, has turned up with three fabulous dishes. A hearty casserole, a sirloin fit for a king, and to finish it off, a delicate chocolate pudding which will surely please the judges." Malice announced. Cierra took a bow before Malice continued her fabulous introduction.

"Serene, the brave reaper, the tomboy of all tomboys, has also countered with three amazing dishes. First off, an opening with sushi rolls. Next, a wonderful fish, steamed to perfection. Finally, a lobster, served with dumplings. This will please the judges no doubt." Malice continued, ignoring the leers Serene gave her.

"Lina, the energetic archer, the short, short, short, short...short sprite has also produced three wonderful dishes. First off, a fresh salad which has somehow hasn't wilted or lost colour for forty minutes, amazing. Next, ramen noodles with a chicken broth. Who knows how good the broth is after just one hour of cooking time, but we will find out. Lastly, Lina has presented her skills of applecots by giving us a wonderful variety of applecot related items. Applecot cookies, applecot muffins, toffee applecots. Is there anything she can't do with them? Let's hope the judges feel the same way she does." Lina was smiling as Malice announced her applecot foods.

"Fia, the kind fencer, the vegetarian has produced three dishes as well. First she opens up with a salad which has also has not wilted or lost colour for forty minutes. Next, a wonderful bamboo shoot soup with boiled carrots and potatoes. Not only that, some vermicelli noodles are at the bottom of the bowl, giving the person a nice surprise from the vegetables. Finally, one great experiment. A chicken, made entirely out of tofu. I have to say, it's quite out of the ordinary, but only time will tell if the gamble has paid off." Fia smiled weakly as Malice announced the tofu chicken.

"Ein, the wingless angel, the dark horse to win this, the underdog, is presenting three dishes also. First off, a salad. This isn't just any salad, it marks the great skill and dexterity as he pours his heart and soul into his food. The diviners placed on top signify the relationship between Ein and Ledah. Next, a beautiful pasta dish topped with a home made sauce. Finally, a mysterious dish has been added which Ein would not show anyone until judgement is required. It must be something absolutely spectacular for him to not reveal it to us until it is time." Ein had thought back to the wonderful scene which would surely take place after the competition as a drop of saliva and formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Ein! Snap out of it!" Rose shouted at him telepathically.

"Who will be crowned the Iron Chef of Riviera? Who will take home not only the pride and joy of the title, but also go out on a date with Ein? Judges, please take up your cutlery as we serve you the food!" Malice announced in a loud voice, standing tall and strong.

Suddenly, Malice slumped over a little and took a deep breath.

"That was the biggest lie I ever had to tell. Ever." Malice said taking another breath.


	8. The Judgement: Part 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to Chapter 1.

_Author's Notes: When I was writing this chapter, I realised I had dug myself into a pretty deep hole. I found it hard to continue without sounding like a broken record and repeating myself trying to describe what the food tasted like. Fun fact: For one of the scenes, I used actual props to help me describe what I was talking about. Enjoy the story as it is nearing to an end...

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"So, who wants to go first?" Malice finally asked. The five chefs looked at each other and gave no response. "How stupid of me, I'll just pick whoever I want. Cierra, you're up!"

Cierra presented her dishes onto the judge's table. As she placed the serving plates down, she paused in front of Rose. She squinted her eyes as she looked directly at Rose.

"...What?" Rose finally asked.

"Somehow, you look very familiar. I just can't quite put my finger on it..." Cierra replied.

"Of course you can't put your finger on it, anything you touch would instantaneously burst into flames." Malice added.

"Nevermind." Cierra said, ignoring Malice's remark. She thought to herself, "I wonder what Ein did with that magical perfume I gave him..."

Cierra continued setting up the plates before finally starting he started to ladle the casserole into bowls. Once she had placed down the bowls, Rose, Soala and Ledah picked up their spoons.

"Bottoms up..." Soala said to Rose as she put her lips close to the spoon filled with the spicy concoction.

"Cheers..." Rose replied as she mimicked the same movements as Soala.

The three of them closed their eyes and placed the spoon into their mouth. A few moments passed before they opened their eyes.

"Hey, this is quite good." Soala commented.

"Yeah, it is! This is wonderful Cierra. And here I thought the ludicrous amount of chilli you added would...Aah!" Rose suddenly opened her mouth with your tongue hanging out. "Water! Water!"

"Cierra! This is way too hot!" Soala yelled as she followed Rose's chaotic movements.

Soala quickly grabbed a jug of water and attempted to dump its contents down her mouth. The water splashed on her clothes leaving dark patches. Rose was frantic as she tried to find something to ease the burning sensation.

"Oh my, is that too hot?" Cierra asked with a warm smile.

"Yes! Oh god, I need something!" Rose yelled running around the room.

"Drinking milk will ease the spiciness." Cierra said calmly.

"There is no milk." Ledah said, between mouthfuls of casserole. "I used the last carton."

"Hey, wait a minute, why isn't Ledah affected by the chilli?" Serene asked as Rose rummaged through the fridge for anything that would soothe the burning sensation.

"Oh, that's quite easy." Malice interjected, pressing the blue button on her trusty remote. The large screen came down again displaying a picture of Ledah with numerous numbers and graphs. "As you can see here, Ledah's resistance to fire is substantially high."

"Oh. That makes perfect sense actually..." Serene commented.

"Of course it does, it _is_ me after all." Malice said, flicking her hair back with her hand.

Serene was about to yell at Malice when Cierra walked right between the two of them and started to slice the large sirloin. The plates were distributed to Soala and Ledah. Rose finally managed to get a mouthful of yogurt to ease the spicy sensation of the casserole and took her seat. Cierra handed Rose a plate before standing back to watch them eat. Picking up a knife and fork, Rose cut off a little piece and placed it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly for a few seconds before finally swallowing.

"Hmm, no chillis are present in this. I'll be happy just with that." Rose said.

"This has a rather unique texture and flavour as you didn't use your oven. I love it." Soala added.

"Hmm...it's a little dry, the outside was beautiful, but the actual meat inside was bland and dull." Ledah commented.

"He gets straight to the points doesn't he?" Soala asked.

"He certainly does." Rose replied.

After the judges finished the main course, Cierra brought out the chocolate pudding which were in a tiny dessert bowl. Placing the last bowl on the table, they were about to pick up their spoon when Cierra stopped them.

"Before you eat it, I must do something." She said, raising her staff.

"Cierra, don't do it..." Rose said in a low voice.

"I'll show you the power of magic..." Cierra said.

"Cierra! No!" Soala exclaimed.

"_Magic Burst!_"

Soala, Rose and the other four chefs closed their eyes and tried to cover their face with their hands. A tiny constant stream of flame appeared as she gently brushed her staff over the bowls. The flames heated up the desserts, causing the top to form a very crisp texture, almost burnt. Everyone opened their eyes in amazement, surprised they weren't coughing up soot.

"Now you may dig in!" Cierra said, clapping her hands together and smiling all the while.

Simultaneously, Rose, Soala and Ledah picked up their spoons. They looked at each other, then looked at the concoction Cierra presented them. Rose poked at the hard top with her spoon. She poked at it a few more times before it cracked. A small hole formed as melted chocolate oozed out. Soala followed suit while Ledah just stuck his spoon into the dessert as if it were ice cream. As the chocolate hit their tongues, sounds of satisfaction filled the room.

"This is truly heaven!" Rose said in between mouthfuls.

"It's so sweet and rich. I hope this doesn't go to my thighs..." Soala's voice drifted off.

"Oh, don't worry about that. These things hardly have any calories." Cierra said.

"Really?" Serene questioned.

"Yes. I added a special herb. Quite a remarkable find."

"Do you think we could have some as well Cierra?" Fia asked.

"Sure. There's plenty to go around." Cierra replied. She thought to herself with a wicked grin, "I wish there was such a herb. Ignorance truly is bliss."

"Well, that concludes Cierra's dishes. Now, Serene is up! Move it!" Malice announced, pushing Serene from behind.

"Hey! Stop pushing!" Serene exclaimed, trying to make sure she didn't drop her dishes. From all the pushing and shoving, Serene forcefully bumped into Cierra. The impact had almost thrown Cierra off balance as the little leather bag of goods she carried had burst open, spilling peculiar objects onto the floor. Cierra quickly picked up her things as Serene set down her dishes onto the judge's table. The first dish handed to them was the sushi rolls. As the plates were given, Rose looked at the contents.

"Serene...is it me, or is there more green than white I see in this?" Rose asked.

"That's the wasabi isn't it?" Soala added.

"Yep! Now eat it!" Serene said with enthusiasm.

"I am so going to enjoy this...wait a minute." Malice thought to herself as she looked up at the large screen. "Damnit Ledah, why do your stats have to be like that?"

Rose had already took a large bit out of the sushi, and the strength of the wasabi instantly kicked in as she breathed heavily through her nose and started coughing. Soala was also suffering the effects of the wasabi. Ledah was perfectly calm as he finished his portion with no visible effect. Serene stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't that stuff hot for you Ledah?"

"No." Ledah replied before grabbing another piece. "It tastes quite good actually."

"_Damnit, Malice was right after all."_ Serene thought to herself. "Alright, onto the next course!"

Serene opened the lid of the 3 layered steamer and steam filled the air with a lemon aroma. Serene took the plate out. The fish was still left whole with the necessary parts removed such as the scales and gills.

"I can't eat that! It's too cute!" Soala exclaimed.

"...Eh? What do you mean?" Serene asked.

"Just look at it! It's got big eyes and a big grin. I can't possibly eat it. It's just too cute!" Soala said with glee.

"...You've gotta be kidding me." Serene said under her breath.

"Oh yes! I agree! It's really cute!" Cierra said, joining in.

"Hey hey, we should name it, what do you think?" Soala asked.

"That would be a great idea!" Cierra replied. "You should name it!"

"This can't be happening." Serene said to herself. "There is absolutely no way this is happening to me."

"Hey how about Lil' Fishy?" Soala suggested.

"That's a great name! Isn't that right Lil' Fishy?" Cierra smiled, holding up the plate and looking at it. She tilted the plate up and down. "See? He likes the name!"

"_That Cierra...she's good. Playing the fool in order to gain any advantage possible to win...she's almost as cunning as me. I better watch out for her._" Malice thought.

"I guess I'll move onto the last dish then..." Serene said to herself as she placed the lobster onto the table.

"Ooh! Look at the little lobster! And it's decorated with shellfish!" Soala said.

"...Those are dumplings." Serene corrected Soala.

"Oh. I'm not sure if I can eat this either!" She said.

"Ooh maybe you should..." Cierra started.

"Oh no you don't! You're eating this lobster whether you want to or not!" Serene quickly said in order to stop Cierra from encouraging Soala. Before Serene could serve the lobster she noticed the tail was missing. "What the hell? Where'd the tail go?"

Serene looked around before she heard a loud crunching sound. "...Ledah, do you mind? I'm trying to think here." A few seconds passed before it finally hit her. "God damnit Ledah, at least let me serve the food since I cooked it!"

"I figured that you'd be arguing with Soala for a while so I thought I'd eat it while you were busy. It's actually quite good. It's the simple things that truly stand out." Ledah replied.

"Oh...thanks..." Serene said as her voice trailed off. She ripped off part of the lobster and added a few dumplings before handing it to Rose. After some difficulty, Rose managed to find an opening and release the lobster meat from the encased shell. The juice dribbled out as slowly made a puddle on the plate. Rose opened her mouth and started chewing.

"Mmm...Ledah was right. The flavours are simple, and yet it compliments the dumplings. It's like they're partners...one is not dominating the other." Rose said with approval.

Serene's eyes diverted to Soala who still had not touched the lobster. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She sighed as she decided not to say anything to Soala.

"Poor little lobster...he had no chance..." Soala said in a low tone.

"Right! That's enough of that. Next chef, step forward!" Malice exclaimed. "Lina!"

"Yay!" Lina cried out as she carefully weaved her way to the table to set up her dishes.

"Don't spill anything now squirt." Serene said as she messed up Lina's hair with her hand. Lina replied with a tongue raspberry before facing towards the table. Lina quickly ran off towards her bench.

"Hey! Come back here!" Malice yelled, but Lina paid no attention. As she came back, she was carrying a small stool in both hands. "...Oh, I see what you did there."

Lina placed the stool on the floor before standing on it. "That's better!"

She whipped out the salad bowl and served it as a side dish to the ramen noodles and broth. Lina then gave everyone a pair of chopsticks which had a simple pattern of little symbols and dots. Ledah held the chopsticks in his right hand and begun to eat. Soala and Rose however, were having trouble and looked at the chopsticks with confusion. Rose had a chopstick in each hand whilst Soala had them crossed over, attempting to pick up the noodles. Stopping what he was doing, Ledah sighed as he held up his chopsticks, moving the chopsticks between his fingers. Showing them how they were supposed to hold it, Rose and Soala tried to mimic Ledah. Rose was still having trouble trying to keep her chopsticks steady but Soala had managed to round up some noodles. However, the noodles didn't hold and plopped back into the broth.

"This is how you do it." Ledah said, getting up from his seat and standing between Rose and Soala. Holding Rose's hand, Ledah guided her and after a few tries, she managed to get the noodles to stay on her chopsticks. Ledah turned to Soala and gave her the same lessons.

"Here, you don't have to cross over your chopsticks." Ledah instructed as he guided Soala's hand to grab the noodles.

"Ah, thank you Ledah." Soala said as Ledah went back to his seat.

"Hey! I don't know how to use chopsticks! Could you teach me as well?" Cierra suddenly cried out. Looking at her, Serene also joined in.

"Yeah! Me too! What do ya say?"

"...Very well. Lina, if you could." Ledah said, motioning Lina to serve some more ramen. Ledah got up again and walked towards Serene and Cierra. "Here, you hold it like this."

Ledah gently guided Cierra and Serene's hands to hold the chopsticks before they attempted to pick up the noodles.

"_Oh wow...his hands are so soft..._" Serene thought to herself.

"_Amazing! Ledah has great dexterity with his hands. I wonder if he also plays the piano._" Cierra thought to herself.

"Hmm, Serene, you shouldn't grip your chopsticks so tightly. Cierra, you need to work on the position of your fingers. Other than that, you should be able to use the chopsticks now." Ledah said.

"Thanks Ledah!" Serene and Cierra said in unison.

"_Just what this world needs, more fangirls to follow Ledah around._" Malice thought to herself and shook her head in disgust.

Ledah sat back down and lifted up the bowl of broth. As he tilted his head back a fraction, he put his bowl back down. He placed his index finger into the broth and tasted it. Slowly turning his head, Ledah's eyes met Lina's and stared her down.

"Lina, this broth is filled with salt. What did you put in this exactly?" Ledah questioned.

"Um...nothing much...hehe." Lina replied, putting on a worried smile.

Ledah got up and flapped his wings. Taking a short flight, he elegantly landed where Lina's bench was and looked inside the rubbish bin.

"As I suspected." Ledah announced. "You used the flavouring sachets from the instant variety and used that to flavour the broth. Lina tried to say something, but bowed her head in shame. A dramatic sound played from the speakers.

"Damnit Rose! If you touch that soundboard one more time, I'm going to shove this microphone where the sun don't shine!" Malice yelled.

"I'd like to see you try." Rose retorted.

"Oh that's it! Come here!" Malice exclaimed as she took a step forward, but was stopped by Ledah.

"Malice. I have to do my job, so you go do yours." Ledah said in a low tone.

"...Tch, fine. Wow! What an unexpected turn of events! Lina using the flavouring sachets of instant ramen. Nothing good can come out of this..." Malice announced.

"That's not what I had in mind." Ledah said interrupting her speech before returning back to his chair.

"I guess we should move onto the last course then." Malice said, smiling. "Right after this commercial break."

"Wait, what?" Ein said in confusion.

"Yeah you heard me, a commercial break." Malice replied.

"There were no such things on this show." Fia stated.

"Well, too bad. I run the show now, and I say it's time for a freaking commercial break!" Malice yelled.

"I hate you so much..." Serene said under her breath.

"You'll hate me a lot more when I announced the next commercial break." Malice said.


	9. The Judgement: Part 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to chapter 8.

_Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Anyway, read on and enjoy. Remember to review if you want. It helps if I know people are still reading this!_

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"And welcome back to the exciting Iron Chef Riviera! If you just joined us, we found out that Lina had used instant ramen, what a sudden turn of events!" announced Malice.

"Get on with it!" Serene yelled in the background.

"Now, can Lina redeem herself with her last course? Let's find out." Malice continued.

Lina had presented a large platter which consisted of many applecot treats. Setting the plate down, the three judges each grabbed a different treat and proceeded to taste it. Rose had taken the toffee applecot, Soala had the applecot muffin and Ledah held the applecot cookie.

"I love muffins!" Soala said with glee. "And this is no exception."

Rose had stuffed her face full of the toffee applecot and only muffled words and sounds escaped her mouth as she finished off the sweet covered fruit. Meanwhile, Ledah had only taken one small bite before placing the cookie back onto the plate.

"I am not fond of sweet food, however, it is edible." Ledah commented.

"Remarkable! After the ramen noodle scandal, Lina has recovered with her array of applecot dishes!" announced Malice.

"What is wrong with you, Malice?" Ledah asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing, it's just that I feel like I finally have a purpose. The people, the drama. I feel alive." Malice stated.

"You fool!" Ledah snapped and promptly slapped Malice with the back of his hand. "Get a hold of yourself!"

With the palm of her hand, Malice held the spot where Ledah had made contact with her face.

"Thanks, Ledah. I don't know what got into me." Malice said quietly. "Right, next up! Fia and her magical chicken made of tofu!"

"Now, as you have seen, this entire meal is made from non-meat products. I hope you enjoy it." Fia said, bowing. "For starters we have a light salad."

Finishing serving the salad, the trio of judges picked up their forks and started to eat. A loud crunch was heard as this happened.

"What's this crunchy stuff, Fia?" Rose asked.

"Those are fried vermicelli noodles. It doesn't add much flavour wise, but it's there for the texture." Fia replied.

"Ah, always thinking of every aspect. Amazing, Fia." Rose replied.

"And this dressing gives the salad quite a bite." Soala added. "I like it!"

"I have to agree with these two." Ledah said. "The acidity of the dressing coupled with a mild chilli flavour gives a great combination."

Fia waited for them to finish up before serving the next course. The bamboo shoot soup was ladled into bowls with vermicelli noodles present. Steam slowly wafted into the air and disappeared as the gentle aromas filled the room. With chopsticks in hand, Ledah looked at Rose and Soala who managed to make use of the chopsticks.

"Another wonderful meal, Fia." Soala said, finishing off the soup.

"I agree. The taste was rather new to me. It had a...woody...taste..." Rose's voice trailed off before noticing Malice about to open her mouth. "Don't say anything Malice! We don't want to hear another one of your lame insults!"

"I wouldn't _dream_ of insulting you." Malice replied with a sinister tone.

"Stop it you two." Ledah said in a commanding voice. "The meal itself was simple, and yet, it has many complexities in it. The right balance of seasonings, the addition of bamboo shoots, it was splendid to say the least."

"Oh, thank you Ledah..." Fia said quietly, blushing a little.

"_Honestly, I don't think he himself doesn't realise that he's attractive and...wait a minute! What am I saying! Snap out of it Malice!" _Malice promptly realised it was time for the final course and proceeded to mock Fia. "Well well, I've been waiting for this moment. Hail the queen of all vegetarians!"

"No one cares, Malice." Fia said in a slightly annoyed tone.

The plate which had on it the tofu shaped chicken was quite a sight. The details were very similar to the real thing aside from the slight variation in colour. Picking up a large carving knife, Fia had sliced the large bird with ease. The sight of the insides made Rose and Soala shudder. It was purely white, with steam emitting from the pours and it jiggled as the knife hit the plate, almost jelly like. Finishing serving, the three judges picked up a knife and fork, taking their time in cutting a small piece to eat. Simultaneously, they placed the tofu into their mouths and chewed. A few moments passed before they stopped chewing. Suddenly, they all started coughing and exhaled the contents all over the table.

"Ew! Not only does it look weird, it tastes weird too!" Soala announced.

"I second that statement!" Rose whole heartingly agreeing.

"There have been few instances in which I was defeated...and this is one of them." Ledah said, grabbing a glass of water.

"It's not that bad is it?" Fia said, grabbing a fork. "Let's see here..."

Fia ate a mouthful and started chewing. Everyone stared at her, waiting for any signs of how horrible the taste was but were denied of their prize. "This tastes fine. I'm not sure why you three didn't like it."

"Heh. That's because this tofu is made from baby seals." Malice interupted.

"What! No! That's a lie! You're lying right?" Fia cried out, astounded and horrified by the information.

"Nope, it says right here. One hundred percent baby seals." Malice said, showing Fia the package details of the tofu. Promptly, Fia fainted upon seeing this and Ein had managed to catch her.

"That was downright evil, Malice!" Serene exclaimed."How could you do such a thing?"

"Relax, tofu isn't made from baby seals, I'd hope you weren't that guillible. Besides, I figured she'd use tofu for something so I stole this idea of tofu being made from baby seals. Ingenious really." Malice said, flicking her hair back. "And of course, I did the editing on the package myself."

"_Someone needs to deflate that large ego of hers."_ Serene thought, almost half saying it out loud.

"Anyway, we have one more chef to go. Ein, the long mile awaits." Malice announced. "Let's go!"

"Fine, fine..." He replied as he started laying out his dishes.

Ein picked up some tongs and was about to serve the entrée when Soala had cried out.

"Ein! Don't ruin the lovely salad! It looks too beautiful to destroy!" Rose gave a quick look at Soala before responding.

"Soala, it's just a salad. It doesn't matter if it's beautiful or not, food is food, right Ledah?"A few moments passed with no response. "Ledah?"

"...I have to agree with Soala this time. Ein's salad is a magnificent work of art and it would be a shame to destroy it." Ledah replied.

"Not this time!" Malice yelled. "You're all eating that thing whether you want to or not. Also, the salad will wilt and go rotten over time anyway."

"Tch. Such a mouth you have Malice. Hopefully you'll find a use for it someday." Ledah said.

"I already have." Malice replied.

After finishing off the entrée, Ein served up the next course. The aroma filled the room as Ein lifted up the lid of the pot. Ein skillfully wrapped the pasta into a neat mound on a plate before smothered it with the fresh sauce. Lastly, he grated a bit of parmesan cheese to top it off. After settling down onto the hot pasta, the cheese slowly melted.

"You'll be fine eating this then, Soala?" Rose asked.

"Yep." Soala replied, picking up her fork.

Rose picked up the fork but it slipped between her fingers and dropped onto the floor. Soala and Ledah had begun twirling the pasta around their fork whilst Rose was on her hands and knees, under the table, looking for the fork she had dropped. She spotted a round object on the floor and she picked it up in her hand. The light was mostly blocked by the table cloth but upon closer inspection, it was a ball of wool. It was coloured with green, red and blue. Rose noticed a piece of paper attached to the end of the string. Curiousity overcoming her, Rose flipped the little piece of paper around.

"Cierra..." Rose said to herself.

The paper had on it written 'Gateau.' It was the supposed "favourite ball of wool" as dubbed by Cierra. What struck Rose was that Cierra still kept it. Rose figured that it must've rolled under the table when Cierra's bag had spilled its contents onto the floor. Rose thought back to the time when Cierra had treated her like a regular house cat. Dangling a piece of string just out of Rose's reach, stroking her fur and even attempted to feed her fish. Now Rose realised Cierra wasn't treated her as a regular house cat, she was treating her like as if she was a part of the family.

"_Maybe I should tell her the truth..."_ Rose thought when suddenly, she saw a round silhouette emerge from behind the table cloth. She squinted her eyes to try and make out what it was.

"Hey! Watch where you point that thing, Cierra!" Serene exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I have it all under...whoops!" Cierra said.

The silhouette became larger and Rose had only a split second to realise what it was, but it was too late. A fireball had emerged from behind the table cloth and had engulfed Rose in flames. Rose was now covered in soot and the ball of wool she held in her hand had disintegrated into ashes.

"_Now I remember why I didn't tell her."_ Rose thought, reassuring herself.

"Are you ok, Rose?" Ein asked, lending out his hand to help her up. At this point, Fia regained consciousness and slowly stood up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rose said, taking Ein's hand. When Rose got to her feet, she shook herself, getting rid of most of the soot which covered her clothes.

"Rose looks like a cat doing that!" Lina said playfully.

"I am not a cat!" Rose said quickly. "Er...I mean, of course I'm not a cat..."

Rose quickly took her seat and picked up another fork. Rose was twirling the pasta around her fork with one hand, lazily. As she looked up, Cierra was talking to Fia, who was still slightly pale.

"_She gave me that potion which made me unable to speak for a long while, and yet, because of her magic, I now have a human form. Sometimes I wonder if she really is happy...and myself for that matter."_ Rose thought to herself as the pasta around her fork grew.

"This is wonderful Ein! I just love how the sauce is so thick and doesn't drop off of the pasta when you try to eat it!" Soala announced after finishing her plate. "You've gotta teach me how to make this later."

"Now now, Soala. Don't flatter me like this..." Ein said, blushing slightly.

"The different flavours infused in the sauce is very complex, Ein. There are many flavours hitting you all at once. It feels like each flavour depends on one another and build itself up." Ledah said, putting his fork down.

"Way to be a melodramatic, Ledah." Malice snorted. "How about you, Rose?"

Rose had obviously not heard her as she continued twirling the pasta around her fork, with her hand in a half open fist under her chin, using her elbow on the table as support.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!" Malice yelled.

"Oh...who, what, where?" Rose replied with a weakened, confused tone.

"What do you think of Ein's pasta?" Malice asked, in an annoyed tone.

"Oh...it's great." Rose said monotonous tone.

"Right...that's, very interesting." Malice said raising an eyebrow. "Last up, Ein's special course! What is it? We'll find out right now!"

Ein presented a silver platter covered with a matching lid. Everyone except Rose took interest at what was concealed inside.

"I present to you...my specialty!" Ein announced as he lifted the lid in a dramatic way.

"...That's your specialty?" Malice sneered.

"Well, I have to agree with Malice on this one. For such a great build up, the result isn't as great as it sounded." Serene said.

"Well, I think it's nice, Ein. It's something very simple, and it matters all about taste right?" Fia asked.

"Right!" Cierra replied.

"What is it, Ein?" Lina asked. "Lina likes the colour though!"

"It's rice and eggs. That's all." Ein replied, picking up small bowls. "And everyone can taste it if they want, I've made more than enough."

"Oh, that's swell." Malice said in a sarcastic tone. "I guess I'll try it as well. It can't be as bad as tofu chicken, am I right?"

Fia remained quiet as Ein started to pile the bowls with the rice. Everyone on stage had grabbed a bowl and even some of the audience members decided to try it as well. Ladie, Graham, Molan and Meute to name a few. The moment of truth came as everyone held a spoon in their hand. Scooping up the rice, everyone opened their mouth to taste it, aside from Malice who decided to wait and see if the the others survived the first taste. Suddenly, a loud sound boomed, like lightning and for a split second, the lights flickered on and off.

"Damnit Rose, I thought I told you that...that...what the hell? Where is she?" Malice yelled in confusion.

"She's right here." Ledah said, motioning his head to where Rose was sitting at the table.

"If she's there, and no one is at the soundboard, then who did those effects?" Malice asked.

"Exactly, Malice. Now you see why it's Ein's specialty." Ledah replied, smirking. "The golden rice. It is said to be so great, that the taste could send you higher than any mountain could ever reach."

"...That's stupid." Malice said, finally taking a spoonful of rice. A few moments passed before Malice swallowed the contents in her mouth. "...God damnit."

"As I said, Malice. Ein knows what he's doing." Ledah said. "Isn't that right?"

All of the girls nodded with agreement as they ate more of the rice.

"Now that's settled, I do believe it's time to choose a winner." Ledah said.

"That's my line! I'll do it how you're supposed to!" Malice exclaimed. "And so, the five chefs have displayed their talents and skills through their cookery. Now the judges will vote according to the system on their scoring sheets."

Several minutes have passed as Soala, Rose and Ledah started writing down on a sheet of paper which was protected by a menu-like cover. Finally, Malice was given an envelope and stood in front of the stage. Fia, Lina, Serene, Cierra and Ein stood in front of her on the stage floor in a line. The battle scars clearly showing what they went through in order to make it out of this competition alive. Finally, Malice spoke out.

"These five chefs, have been through a lot, and yet, here they are, risking their lives again in the kitchen to produce many dishes which have been exquisite, but also catastrophic at times. Now, judgement has been passed. This envelope contains the winner of this contest! This envelope that I hold in my hand, will crown someone, the Iron Chef of Riviera! This very piece of paper I wield, is the ticket to a date with Ein! Unless of course Ein wins and..."

"Get on with it already!" Serene yelled.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm doing my speeches, batgirl! Anyway, maestro, drum roll please." A few moments passed before Malice looked around the room. "Damnit Rose! That was your cue to play the soundboard!"

"Oh, I thought that If I touched it again that you would..." Rose started

"Never you mind, just play the drum roll!" Malice yelled.

"Fine fine, don't have a hissy fit on me now." Rose taunted as she walked towards the soundboard and pushed a button. The drum roll played through the speakers.

"That's better. And now, the person that will be crowned the Iron Chef of Riviera is..." Malice stopped for a few seconds.

"Don't you dare!" Serene yelled. "If you do that, I don't know what I'll do, but it'll involve a lot of pain!"

"Do what?" Malice asked, smirking.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Serene yelled, once again.

"Oh, you mean this?" Malice said, laughing to herself. **_"We'll find out after this commercial break!"_**

"Aaah! I must know now! I demand you to tell me right now!" Serene exclaimed, wielding her scythe. "Or else!"

"Or else what?" Malice sneered.

"This!" Serene drew another scythe, holding one in each hand. Serene was chasing after Malice, swinging wildly.

"Cut to the commercial breaks damnit!" Malice yelled, running away from Serene. At this point, Rose pulled out a little green notebook and started writing in it.

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_Ah, don't you just hate it when it stops right there? I know I do.  
_


	10. The Choice

**DISCLAIMER:** See Previous Chapter.

_Author's Notes: So, here's chapter 10. I just have a feeling that many of you will hate what I've done in this chapter. Read at your own risk. P_

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"Welcome...back...oww! Watch where you're stepping!" Malice cried out, who was lying on the ground. 

"I'll stop once you announce the winner!" Serene retorted, with her boot on top of Malice's back.

"No one commands me what to do. I refuse to announce the winner." Malice said. "Ow!"

Serene placed more pressure onto Malice, holding her scythe with her hand. "Lay off the hamburgers will ya!" Malice exclaimed.

"You'll announce the winners right now, or else..." Serene said in a low, angered tone. "I'll cut your hair!"

"No! Not my beautiful hair!" Malice yelled, squirming to get away. Serene lowered her scythe, lifting up some of Malice's blond hair. "Okay okay! Just don't cut my beautiful hair!"

Serene stepped off of Malice, whilst Rose continued taking notes in her little green book. Slowly getting up, Malice brushed herself before reaching into her magnificently decorated black coat and revealed an envelope. She removed the red seal on the envelope and removed the paper contained within it.

"The winner is..." Malice paused for a moment. "I don't believe this...Ein is the Iron Chef of Riviera!"

As soon as Malice finished speaking, confetti and streamers poured down the stage and covered the floor in an array of colours. Looking up, Ein saw an army of colourful balloons slowly descending as he was hoisted up by the other four girls. Everyone was cheering, except Malice who was still dumbfounded at the result.

"_There's just one thing missing..."_ Ein thought to himself as he was being carried around the stage. Suddenly, the song "We Are The Champions" was playing through the speakers. _"Ah Rose, you shouldn't have..."_

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Rose at the soundboard once again. Rose smiled and gave him a thumbs up before Malice was shouting at her for touching the device again. It seems as though the joyous moment would last forever when the words of Malice shattered it.

"Who are you going to pick, Ein?"

Everything Ein saw was in slow motion as the song immediately stopped, almost like a broken record. The four girls immediately dropped Ein to the floor. Wincing slightly from the fall, Ein picked himself up and saw himself facing the four girls.

"That's a very good question Malice." Serene stated. "Who _are_ you going to pick, Ein?"

"Um...uh...give me a minute!" Ein exclaimed, trying to run, but was immediately cut off by Lina and Cierra. "I guess I have no choice in this..."

Closing his eyes, Ein sighed and calmed down his breathing, trying to think.

"I choose...Serene." Ein said in a low voice.

"Ein..." Serene turned towards Lina. "Hah! In your face squirt!"

Lina could only respond with a tongue raspberry as Serene and Ein walked off the stage. The evening sky was covered with clouds and only a few stars managed to shine their light through. Ein and Serene were on Rosalina Island and so far, the date had no problems. They were sitting on some grass at a nearby lake. Serene was sitting down and Ein was throwing a stone across the water.

"Ein, come with me, I want to show you something." Serene said, getting up.

"Eh? Oh, okay." Ein replied.

She weaved in and out between large bushes and Ein had some trouble keeping up with her. Some of the overhanging branches proved to be annoying obstacles as Ein's face met a few already, especially at the speed which Serene was keeping. After a few painful minutes, Ein finally saw a clearing and he saw Serene starting at him.

"Hurry up you!" Serene called out to him.

"Alright alright." Ein replied, surveying the area. "Serene...is this..."

"Yes...this was my village." She replied. "Here, this was where I lived."

Both of them approached a small house which an old, wooden door. Serene pushed the door open with one hand and the door creaked open. Suddenly, the door broke off of the hinges and crashed loudly onto the floor.

"Oops...better be careful, Ein. This place could fall apart." Serene said as she entered the doorway.

Ein looked around him and he saw that the house was covered with dust. He noticed a picture frame which was placed on top of a table and grabbed it with his hand. A layer of dust covered the picture, and as Ein was about to blow the dust away, Serene called out to him.

"In here!"

Placing the picture frame down, he disappeared down the short hallway and found Serene sitting on a bed.

"I guess this is your room, Serene?" Ein asked, taking a seat next to Serene.

"Yeah...hey look Ein!" She said, pointing at the window. "The clouds are gone."

The full moon was shining brightly, surrounded by a plethora of stars. A few moments passed as they stared at each other, holding hands.

"Ein, there's something I have to tell you..." Serene started.

"What is it?" He replied.

"How can I put this...ever since I first saw you, there was something I've always...wanted from you..." Serene's voice trailed off. She whispered into Ein's ear and then smiled. However, Ein was flabbergasted, unable to string words together.

"You...Serene...but...we can't...wow...you...really wanted to?...I'm...I mean...you..." Suddenly, white clouds covered the scene and Ein found himself back at the stage. _"I don't think that would work out. I wonder what would happen if I chose Lina instead..."_

Ein and Lina were walking through a forest and a light breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. Walking along the dusty trail, Lina spotted something hiding in the bushes. Before Ein could even say a word, Lina was off and running. Sighing to himself, Ein quickly chased after her, hoping she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Hey Ein! Look what Lina found!" She cried out. "A treasure chest!"

"Lina, I don't think you should open..." Ein's voice trailed off as Lina opened the chest. "Look out!"

Ein grabbed Lina and led her away from the chest. The chest exploded and bits of debris flew into the air and scattered across the forest floor. Ein was breathing heavily, bending over slightly but Lina was perfectly fine. She went back to where the chest once was, a small crater replaced it.

"Ein! Lina found a rock!...A rock...another one...where's all the treasure?" Lina cried out, almost into tears.

"Lina...I know! Tonight, you want to go to the Elendia Carnival with me?" Ein asked.

"Really? Lina will join!" Lina said with glee.

Night approached and Elendia was buzzing with noise. Ein and Lina met at the front and went in together. They looked around and saw many familiar faces. Soala was selling cotton candy at one stall, Cierra was setting up the fireworks for a sky display, Fia was with her grandfather checking the sights and Serene was at a sideshow which was labelled "Dunk-An-Arc". Unable to resist, Lina headed where Serene was and paid her money to Reiche.

"Okay, here's three magma rocks. If you hit the target, you dunk the Arc into the water and you win a prize!" Reiche announced as Ein stared at Serene, who wearing very skimpy clothing.

"My eyes are up here, Ein!" Serene yelled in an angered tone. _"Pervert."_

Lina hurled the first magma rock at the target but missed. Serene yelled at Lina that she should learn how to throw. Annoyed, Lina hastily threw the second rock and it was no where near the mark.

"C'mon squirt! That's all you got?" Serene taunted.

Lina threw the last rock and narrowly missed the target. Serene stuck her tongue out at Lina and started laughing at her.

"What a shame! You missed the target!" Reiche said.

"Lina doesn't think so." Lina replied. A second later, a bolt of lighting appeared and blasted the target. Serene was caught off guard as she fell into the water. "See?"

"My mistake. It seems you won, Lina. Here's a shiny spiral shell from my personal collection!" Reiche said, handing the item to Lina.

After seeing all of the stalls at the carnival, Ein and Lina decided to take a walk in the forest to get away from the noises. It was very peaceful in the forest, with the clear night sky. Lina spotted a tiny creature in front of them.

"Ein, look! A squirrel with a puffy tail! Lina wants it!"

"But, Lina..."

"Please?"

"Sigh...okay. I'll try to catch it."

Ein carefully crept up to the squirrel and suddenly pounced on it. The squirrel was taken by surprise and didn't have enough time to escape.

"Yay! You're the best Ein!" Lina exclaimed. She noticed something above in the tree branch. "Oh look! Another squirrel! And another!"

Suddenly, many squirrels appeared them, their eyes were starting at Ein. Looking down, Ein watched the squirrel between his hands signaling to the other squirrels. Quickly looking back up, the squirrels scampered down the trees and surrounded Ein in a circle. Frantically looking around, Ein dropped the squirrel he was holding, hoping they would go away. Meanwhile, Lina was staring at the squirrels saying how cute they are with their puffy tails, totally ignoring what was going on. Suddenly, the squirrels attacked Ein, piling on top of him and biting him.

"Aaah! Ow! Lina! Help me!" Ein cried out.

Lina took no notice as the squirrel that Ein had dropped earlier was chasing its own tail, effectively distracting her from Ein's agonising screams of pain. He was on the ground rolling around, trying to shake the squirrels off, but to no avail.

"Aaah! No! Not the face!" Ein yelled. The scene was then enveloped by white clouds before finally disappearing.

"_I guess that won't work out either...what about Cierra..."_

"Ein, I demand to know where Gateau is!" Cierra exclaimed, pointing her staff right in front of Ein's face. "Cinder Squa..."

"Okay okay! I'll tell you! Just don't hurt me!" Ein cried out, instinctively covering his eyes with his hands.

"_I'll make sure you don't, Ein."_ A mysterious voice said to Ein, breaking his dream sequence.

"_Rose! I need some private time here! Can't you turn that psychic thing off or something?" _

"_Sure thing."_ Rose replied.

"_Hey wait...you could do that? Ugh, never mind."_ Ein sighed. _"I guess Fia would be a reasonable choice..."_

"I choose...Fia." He voiced out loud.

"Well, pack your bags then since you're going to Tetyth for your date!" Malice announced.

A few hours later, Fia and Ein arrived at their destination. Upon arrival, Ledah saw them and nodded, acknowledging their presence.

"What are you doing here, Ledah?" Ein asked.

Ledah didn't answer and motioned towards the small boat. Ein and Fia climbed aboard, as well as Ledah. Grabbing an oar, he went to the front of the boat and used the oar to put the boat into motion. Fia was worried at first that the boat might topple over sending them overboard, but Ein reassured her and for a good hour, they admired the scenery. The boat ride finally came to a stop as they reached the shore. Fia got out first but slipped onto the muddy ground, dirtying her clothes.

"Ah, sorry Ein. Could you give me a few minutes to clean myself up?" Fia asked.

"Yeah, sure." Ein said, nodding to Fia before walking a distance out of the view of the lake.

Ten minutes passed and Fia still hadn't finished yet. Ein was tired of waiting and decided to sit on a large rock. He sighed loudly as he tried to entertain himself in any way possible. Looking at the flowers, fidgeting with his gloves, even counting the blades of grass. Getting impatient, Ein stood up, planning to call out to Fia when he slipped on some moss. Ein was sent tumbling down, through a wall of tall grass which separated Fia and Ein.

"Ein! What are you doing?" Fia cried out, covering herself.

"Wait wait! I fell! I haven't seen anything! I swear!" Ein yelled out, covering his eyes.

"Ein is a pervert!" Lina cried out.

"What the?" Ein looked towards the sound of the voice and carefully uncovered one eye. "Lina? What are you doing here?"

"Ein...how could you...trying to take advantage of Fia like that..." Cierra started.

"Wait, no! Stop twisting everything you see!" Ein exclaimed.

"You've gone too far Ein...even for you. You will pay for your sins!" Serene yelled, holding up her scythe.

"Aaah! Not the face!" Ein cried out in pain. Suddenly, Ein opened his eyes and he was back at the stage. _"No matter who I choose, it will always end in disaster."_

Looking around the room, he spotted Malice. _"That would be suicide...Next!" _His head turned towards the judge's table, where he smiled from ear to ear. _"Perfect."_

"_Ein...no, don't do it!"_ Rose exclaimed. _"This is the most ridiculous idea so far! Don't you dare do it"_

"I choose..." Ein started, ignoring Rose's telepathic pleas.

"_No! If you say it, I can guarantee that the other girls will hate you for it!"_

"Ledah." Ein said, without saying another word.

"Whaa?" Everyone exclaimed in unified confusion, except Ledah. Upon hearing this, Fia had fainted again. Meanwhile, Ledah was sipping a glass of water. As he drank it, it took a few seconds for the information to sink in. When it did, Ledah immediately expelled the water onto a nearby Malice.

"Ein, what is the meaning of this?" Ledah questioned.

"Yeah, what gives? Is that even legal, Malice?" Serene questioned.

"Hmm, according to the rules I stated when this began, I said that Ein could choose anyone he wishes. I knew I should have been more specific." Malice replied.

"Ein is weird! Why would he date Ledah?" Lina asked.

"It's...not a date. I just want time alone with him so we can catch up on things and talk..." Ein's voice trailed off.

"I never knew you swung that way, Ein. Seeing as how you spied on us and all." Serene retorted.

"My my, this certainly is a strange turn of events." Cierra said.

"Not really. If I had factored in that Ein had a chance of winning, I would have known he would pick Ledah. Always so predictable you are." Malice said. "Anyway, get going you two love birds. You have to get ready for your date!"

"I guess I have no choice. Very well. I'll let you choose the destination, Ein." Ledah said, trying to act that he was comfortable with the situation

"Thank you, Ledah." He replied. "I'll tell you when the time comes."

Rose had finished writing in her little green note book and had closed it. _"Good, I've gathered a lot of data today. Soon, it will be complete..."_

_

* * *

One more chapter to come, who knows what will happen...Stay tuned for the last chapter!  
_


	11. The Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to Chapter 1.

* * *

Elendia, the village of sprites located in Riviera, the home of the heroes that had foiled Seth-Rah's plans. After a competition of cookery, the heroes finally have some time to relax and reflect on what has happened. The winner, Ein, prepares to go out on his date with Ledah, his best friend. 

"It's not a date!" Ein screamed.

"Then why did you pick him in the first place?" Malice questioned.

"I just wanted some alone time with him so we could talk about things!" Ein retorted.

"Denial is the first step..." Her voice trailed off into a soft, sinister tone.

The following afternoon, Ein was upstairs preparing for his date whilst everyone else was downstairs congregating. Fia, Cierra, Serene, Lina, Rose and Malice were discussing a few issues whilst Ledah had his back against a wall, taking no notice of his surroundings.

"Okay, so here's the plan." Fia said with a low whisper. "Us four will go take a bath first in the springs, you two make sure he doesn't get anywhere near there."

"Right, and when you're finished, you four can distract him whilst us two take a bath." Rose said, nodding her head.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Malice said.

"Okay okay! He's coming down stairs, let's do this." Serene said quickly before everyone dispersed around the room, giving the illusion that nothing happened. Looking around the room, Ein sensed something strange going on, but shrugged it off.

"Okay Ein, we'll see you later." Fia said.

"Eh? Where are you going?" Ein asked.

"We have some errands to run for grandfather." Fia replied.

"Oh, okay then." He nodded as Fia, Cierra, Lina and Serene went out the door.

Ein had taken a seat on a chair and Rose followed suit. Malice had opted to stand up and Ledah had not moved from his spot on the wall. A few minutes passed and the room was as silent as ever. Unable to take the silence any longer, Rose finally decided to start a conversation.

"Ledah, how does it feel to be back here?" Rose asked. A few seconds passed and no response came from him. "Ledah? So much for starting a conversation..."

"Rose...I have a question." Ein said. "Why don't you want Cierra to know that you're...you know..."

"It's because I do not know the consequences if she does find out." Rose replied.

"What do you mean?" Ein questioned.

"It means that she is a lunatic and no one can predict what would happen." Malice said.

"That's about right." Rose said to Ein.

"I see...I think I'll go get some fresh air." Ein said, getting up and heading out the door.

"Shouldn't we follow him?" Rose whispered to Malice.

"You can if you wish, I honestly don't care." Malice replied.

"Don't waste your time." Ledah said. "It is his fate for what is about to come. There is nothing you can do."

"If that's the case..." Malice said, in a devious tone. "Twenty dollars says that the Arc will see him first...and beat him into the ground."

"...You're on!" Rose exclaimed, heading out of the door with Malice following behind.

Meanwhile, Ein was aimlessly wandering around Elendia, wondering how tonight will turn out. He was daydreaming and didn't notice the hazard that approached. In the blink of an eye, Ein found himself flat on his back in some mud.

"_Oh that's just great, now I have to take a bath to get this mud out."_ Ein thought. Back to Rose and Malice who were running around looking for Ein, his thoughts had echoed into Rose's head.

"Oh dear god, he's going to take a bath. Ledah _was_ right." Rose said to Malice.

"How did...never mind I don't want to know." Malice said as they both headed towards the Undine Springs. "Damn that Ledah, his ego really needs to be shot down a few levels."

"_Speak for yourself, hypocrite._" Rose thought to herself.

With the Undine Springs within sight, Ein had set aside his diviner against a large rock before heading towards the water. Ein was about to take off his clothes when he heard some voices. Cautiously, he picked up his diviner and decided to investigate. Taking the scenic route behind the various bushes, Ein was behind a wall of ferns near the water's edge. Peering through between the fern leaves, he had witnessed a sight which he would never forget.

"Ack! My wings are wet! I'll get you Lina! Come here!" Serene yelled as she waded through the water trying to get a nimble Lina.

"Can't you two just get a long for at least a little while?" Fia asked.

"Some things never change." Cierra said as she bobbed under water to wash her hair.

Ein stared in awe at the sight for a few minutes before his senses returned to him. Quickly realising the danger, he quickly turned around and his eyes met with a familiar face.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked in a low tone.

"Aaah!" Ein exclaimed from the surprise and he fell backwards, his body crashing through the wall of ferns.

"And now, the feast begins." Malice grinned, who was behind Rose.

The area suddenly went silent as all of the girls in the water stared at the body before them. Slowly but steadily, the body managed to get up. Looking in front of him, Ein's eyes widened at the sight and his lips were moving, trying to speak but failed miserably.

"Let me guess, 'This is not what it looks like,' right?" Serene asked in an annoyed tone, covering herself with her wings. "You know all too well that excuse won't work anymore!"

"Now now, Serene. I'm sure Ein didn't mean it." Cierra said.

"I'm sure that it was an accident, Serene. You're just overreacting again." Fia agreed, attempting to cover herself. "_Although just to make sure..._"

"I doubt it!" Serene exclaimed, heading towards her weapon at the water's edge.

"Hey Ein! What's the matter?" Lina yelled out who was now out of the water, waving her hand in front of his eyes. She got no response and everyone else jumped out of the water to inspect what was going on.

"Hey wait a minute, wasn't Rose and Malice supposed to..." Serene started, but was cut off.

"Ein! Are you okay? Say something!" Fia cried out loud. A few minutes passed as the four girls tried to get a response from Ein. Malice and Rose hid behind the wall of ferns and watched intently.

"Oh my, this can't be good. He's not responding to physical pain." Cierra said as Serene was slapping Ein's face repeatedly.

"Well, I never expected to see this happen." Rose said, finally coming out from hiding. "It seems he fainted on the spot."

"Really? Wow. " Serene said in astonishment.

"Highly likely. Anyway, you four should take care of him whilst we take our turn." Rose said. As the four girls carried Ein's body towards Fia's house, Rose looked at Malice. "Better for Ein to crash in on them than us. Also, you owe me twenty."

"Hmph. Here." Malice said, reaching into her pocket.

The sun was slowly making its descent over the horizon as the four girls had rested Ein onto a chair in Fia's house. Fia had just placed a wet towel on his forehead when Lina cried out.

"Is Ein going to be okay?" Lina asked, almost in tears.

"Of course he will." Cierra answered.

"No, what I meant was..." Lina started when she was cut off.

"Aaaaaah! The pain!" Ein screamed, holding his cheeks.

"Hehe, I guess I overdid it, didn't I?" Serene said in embarrassment.

"Well, at least he's awake now, and that's all it matters right?" Cierra said.

"But he's in terrible pain." Fia replied as she attempted to nurse Ein's bruises, who only screamed even louder.

The night sky was littered with stars and the moon was approaching its zenith. Inside Fia's house, Ein had recovered and was ready to meet with Ledah, who was waiting outside. The four girls were at the table drinking tea when Ein had walked past them, heading for the door. Upon opening the door, his eyes met Ledah's.

"Where are we headed?" Ledah promptly asked.

"No where in particular. I thought that we could just wander around Elendia and show you around." Ein replied.

"Fair enough." Ledah said as they both disappeared from view.

"Now's our chance, let's follow them." Serene said, getting up.

"Let's go!" Lina exclaimed, thrusting one arm up into the air.

"Wait, wait! I'm not sure if we should. I really think that we should let them have their privacy." Fia said with an uneasy look.

"Aren't you interested in the least what could happen?" Cierra asked, looking at Fia. She didn't say anything but shuffled her shoes against the wooden floor. "That's what I thought, let's go!"

The sounds of Elendia had quietened down aside from the few crickets chirping and the hooting of a flying owl. The footsteps of Ein and Ledah had only added to the tranquility of the village as they toured the area.

"And this is the Grove of Repose." Ein said. "Isn't this a great place, Ledah?"

"Yes it is, Ein." Ledah replied.

"I think we should take breather, I brought something to eat if you want."

"Very well." Ledah said, following Ein.

The two of them sat on a large tree stump, their backs facing each other. Ein had revealed two boxes wrapped tightly with a handkerchief. Handing a box to Ledah, he unwrapped the material and opened the lid.

"Golden rice...Ein, you shouldn't push yourself too hard, especially after the event." Ledah commented.

"It's okay, it's quite easy to make actually. Maybe I could teach you sometime." Ein said, handing Ledah a pair of chopsticks.

"No, Ein. Only you can create such a dish. It would be like you trying to master my diviner, Lorelei." Ledah said, grabbing the chopsticks from Ein and started eating. "And it's just as delicious as ever."

"Ledah..."

For several minutes, the two friends sat quietly, eating their dinner. The noises of the creatures were almost like music as they ate together. There was a soft rustle in the nearby bushes but Ein and Ledah did not take notice of it at all.

"Do you see anything?" A voice whispered.

"Not really, they're just sitting there eating." Another voice answered back.

"Are you sure? Let me see." A third voice murmured.

"Lina can't see anything!" Another whined, raising her voice slightly higher than the others.

"Ssh!" the rest of them hissed.

Ledah and Ein and finished their food and Ein had gazed up at the stars, marveling in their beauty. He let out a sigh as he turned to Ledah, still looking skywards.

"Aren't they beautiful? Sometimes, I wish I could fly again, but..." Ein said, pausing for a moment.

"You still can, Ein." Ledah said, getting up and holding out his hand.

"Ledah..."

The four onlookers were shocked as Ledah and Ein joined hands. Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Serene stood up, revealing herself from the bushes.

"I knew you'd swing that way, Ein! I just knew it!" Serene yelled, pointing her index finger at them.

"Serene! What are you doing?" Fia quickly questioned, tugging at Serene's clothing.

"What the? No! It's not like that! Ledah was going to fly around Elendia and I was going to go with him! What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Wait, two?" Serene said confusingly as she turned around. "Hey! Get back here you two! You're not sneaking off and avoiding your fate!"

Cierra and Lina instantly froze and turned around with big silly grins on their faces. Serene and Fia glared at them as they slowly shuffled their way towards them. Ein could only stare in disbelief as he saw the four girls grouped together, behind a bush invading his privacy.

"I think it would be best if I go now." Ledah announced, starting to take a few steps down the forest path. "It's been a long day and I think everyone would benefit if you all go to sleep as well."

"Ledah, wait!" Ein exclaimed as he chased after him, but Ein had tripped on a rock and fell. Quickly reacting, Ledah caught him within his arms, Ein's eyes looking up at Ledah's. For one short, still moment, everyone was silent, waiting for what was to come. Finally, Ein had stood up straight and brushed himself off. "On second thought, I think that would be a good idea, Ledah. Let's go everyone."

Breathing a sigh of relief, all of the girls jumped up and enforced a group hug before heading towards Fia's house. Ledah remained behind, staring at the ground. He bent down and inspected the rock that Ein had tripped on and looked around the area before finally walking away from the scene. Minutes passed as the noises of the creatures filled the air once more. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes.

"Do you think he knows?" Malice asked, standing up from behind another bush.

"He definitely knows something. I think the rock was a dead give-away though." Rose replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Malice asked again, walking onto the forest path, inspecting the rock.

"Under a small rock or stone, when it is embedded into the ground, the dirt under it would usually leave a smooth imprint. However, as you can see, the dirt has many bumps and indents in it, most likely a foot print." Rose answered, as she lifted up the small rock.

"Your meticulous calculations and planning are quite remarkable...How did you manage to correctly guess the location these two would meet and how they would react?" Malice said questioned.

"Well, after being with Ein for so long, one would suspect their likes, dislikes, habits..." Rose started.

"And the distance between their footsteps? Don't make me laugh." Malice sneered, looking at the little green book Rose was holding. "That thing has all the information you've gathered on everyone right?"

"Yes, including you. However, it is incomplete, and will most probably stay that way. After writing a book on the adventures I had, I decided to write about something else. It was rather frustrating though and nothing peaked my interest, until I realised that these five are really quite something else. Especially the girls. The ruthlessness, although rarely shows itself, is quite remarkable and mind-boggling at the same time..."

"Spare me the details, familiar. I didn't want to hear your life story." Malice snapped as she turned walk away.

"Ahem, aren't you forgetting something?" Rose asked, with a wicked smile.

"Hmph, I was hoping you'd forget. Here's the fifty." Malice said walking back whilst reaching into her pocket.

* * *

And that wraps it up for Iron Chef Riviera. I hope that everyone who has read it enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. I admit that there were a few plot holes which I tried to cover up, but ended up poking fun at it. With that said, I might continue the "series" if you can call it that. By that I mean, use the events and character "development" I've done here and bringing it into other fics that I plan to write. That is all. 


End file.
